Ask for indictments of Israel Railways officials and trucking company owners.
By YAAKOV KATZrevadim train crash 298(photo credit: Arieh O'Sullivan)
Police on Monday recommended pressing charges against two Israel Railways officials and the owners of a trucking company on charges of causing death by negligence due to their alleged involvement in the fatal train disaster near Kibbutz Revadim in June. Seven people were killed in the train-truck collision and over 200 were injured.
A special police taskforce established to probe the accident wrapped up its investigation several weeks ago and had transferred its findings to the State Prosecutor's Office, which would ultimately decide if indictments would be filed.
The accident occurred after a train traveling towards Beersheba collided with a truck crossing the tracks on an unmarked dirt path near Revadim. The truck was completely crushed in the collision and several railcars flew off the tracks.
The police recommended indicting Ilieh Volkov and Surin Soivitch - two senior Israel Railways officials - as well as brothers Yehiye and Rafi Eliahu, the owners of the Eliahu Brothers trucking company.
An initial investigation following the accident raised suspicions that the truck driver, who was killed in the collision, had driven more than the consecutive number of hours permitted by law. The Eliahu Brothers trucking company came under investigation some six months ago for allegedly allowing its drivers to drive 30 to 40 consecutive hours far more than the 12-hour maximum permitted by law.
