Road accident in the Parliament: The trial for the death of Iason started today – “This year it would have been 26”

Three years after the traffic accident outside the Parliament which resulted in the fatal injury of the 23-year-old motorcycle driver, the trial began today at the Three-member Court of Misdemeanors of Athens with the accused police officer-driver of Doras Bakoyannis, who is accused of manslaughter.

In the trial, the victim’s family is present in support of the accusation, while the accused is also present in the court, who through his lawyer expressed his regret for the death of 23-year-old Iason.

The defendant’s driving behavior that “led to the death of my son and my family” was defiantly criminal, the father of the young victim testified

“My son is a final year ASOEE student and restaurant worker. That day he was visiting a fellow student to read. He drove a motorcycle for three years and was very careful because that’s how I learned him since I’ve been driving for 40 years” added the witness addressing the court.

Jason’s father expressed his certainty that his child was wearing a helmet because, as he added, “it was a condition to drive when he started riding a motorcycle first he will be safe”.

Referring to the accused, the witness said: “From the provocative behavior I saw a man who was not interested at all, he did not come next to my son, he did not contact us. The co-driver came to the hospital who did not tell us that he was there and came as a colleague.

“He has destroyed a family”

The victim’s sister described the defendant’s behavior as unacceptable.

“He has destroyed a family, Jason lost his dreams. Jason on Wednesday would have turned 26,” she said in an aversion to her examination.

The passenger of the car then took the witness stand and described that:

“We were on B. Sofia to enter the Parliament and, as always, we turned left, stopped at the entrance, some vehicles passed by.

»A taxi gave us priority to pass, we didn’t start and motioned for us to pass. There is always a traffic warden outside the Parliament.

That day we checked several times and started the march to the entrance of the Parliament”.

President: Didn’t you notice the machine?

Witness: We didn’t notice the machine at all. No matter how hard I looked, I could not see the machine and we could not foresee that there was a machine that would make such an overtaking. In the afternoon I went to the hospital after giving a statement.

Prosecutor: Do you think you had the right to turn left?

Witness: Yes. Because there was no sign.

Prosecutor: What else was done and what was allowed… here there was a marking for a mandatory straight path. You are a police officer, do you think you had a right?

Paredros: If I was driving and made this move in Vas. Sofias, wouldn’t I have a big penalty? Do you think policeman I would have a license today?

Witness: All these years this has been happening…

Paredros: I don’t know what they are doing, I don’t follow it. However, there is another entrance.

The trial continues.