Student recounts incident at Valletta bus station

A bus driver was yesterday charged with careless driving and breaking the leg of a Turkish woman in three places while trying to park his bus.

George Bezzina, 39, of Cospicua was charged with driving carelessly and seriously injuring Melek Yuksel when he tried to park his bus at the Valletta terminus at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ms Yuksel, a student, testified before Magistrate Michael Mallia that she had jumped out of the back door of the bus because it was crowded and the passengers were taking their time to alight. She did not know that was an emergency exit because in Turkey emergency doors on buses are located at the side of the vehicle and not at the back.

While standing behind the vehicle, the bus moved backwards and hit her. She fell and her leg got caught by the double wheel. "I could not mount the pavement as there were too many people at the back".

Taking the witness stand, a Scottish tourist, Louise Mctaggart, who was on the same bus, said that an elderly lady was holding up the alighting passengers. A few students had jumped out of the back and they were told off by the driver.

When she got off the bus, the driver started reversing the bus and Ms Yuksel fell under the vehicle. Students began knocking on the back of the bus for him to stop but the driver thought they were jeering him for telling them off earlier.

A male student ran into the bus and tried to punch the driver but was restrained by another boy. When the two left the bus one of them hit a window with his fist and the glass broke.

The case continues.

Police inspector James Grech prosecuted.

Lawyer Joseph Zammit Mckeon was defence counsel.