The State Attorney's Office today (Wednesday) submitted an indictment to the Jerusalem Traffic Court against bus driver Molya Yehais, 51, of Be'er Sheva. Yehais caused bus 402 to crash into a crowded street in Jerusalem on April 11, 2022. Among the victims of the accident were a mother and her two daughters.
The indictment filed indicates that Yehais was transporting passengers from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem towards Bnei Brak. During the trip, Yahais stopped the bus at the station on Shamgar Street, opened the door and let passengers on. He wasn't able to close the door after them however and after consulting with Egged's control center, urged them to get back off and wait for the next bus.
Once the bus was empty of passengers, Yehais decided to reset its electrical system. In order to do this, he got off without pulling the brake lever, so the only braking system left working at that moment was the electric system. As a result, the bus began to slide down the street, slipped onto the sidewalk, and continued until it collided with a bus stop and fence near the "Rav Shefa" mall in the city.
The moving bus hit a large number of pedestrians including Shoshana Glostein, 40, and her two daughters, Chaya, 7, and Chana Glostein, 2, both of whom perished in the accident. In addition, 11 bystanders, including a 21-year-old woman whose legs were amputated above the knees and a 6-year-old minor who suffered internal damage, bruises and fractures, were injured in the tragedy.
Under the indictment, Yehais is charged with three counts of negligence leading to death as well as multiple counts of causing damage to people and property. The prosecution has also asked the court to invalidate Yehais's driver's license.
