Bus Accident in Italy Kills 21, Vehicle Defect Suspected

Regarding the accident in early October where a bus fell from an overpass in the Mestre area near Venice, Italy, killing 21 people, the focus is shifting from driver error to potential vehicle defects.

Flowers placed at the site of the bus crash accident

The Corriere del Veneto, a regional newspaper in northern Veneto, reported on the 13th (local time) that an autopsy of the deceased bus driver, Alberto Ricciotto, found no underlying illnesses such as heart disease.

Initially, the driver's personal fault was considered the most likely cause of the accident. At the time, the bus scraped the guardrail for more than 50 meters along the shoulder before breaking through the guardrail and falling 15 meters below.

There was speculation that the driver might have momentarily lost consciousness due to heart disease or other health issues.

However, the autopsy results have shifted attention from driver error to the possibility of vehicle defects.

The bus involved in the accident was an electric bus manufactured by the Chinese company Yutong, model E-12. It was a new vehicle that had been in operation for only about a year on the route between the historic district of Venice and a campground near the Marghera area.

Corriere del Veneto analyzed that the bus driver might have deliberately collided with the guardrail because he was unable to control the vehicle's speed due to brake failure or other issues.

The injuries found on the driver's fingers from the autopsy could indicate that he was gripping the steering wheel with all his strength.

The absence of sudden braking marks near the accident site also supports this analysis, the media outlet reported.

As questions surrounding the cause of the accident increase, local media predict that the exact investigation results will not be released until the end of February next year.

At the time, the bus was carrying 38 passengers of various nationalities, including a Ukrainian group of tourists, Germans, French, Croatians, Spaniards, and Austrians.

The accident resulted in a total of 21 deaths, including the bus driver, and 15 injuries. Some of the injured are still reported to be in critical condition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.