Furkan and Muhammet might have lived

It was the night of May 4 when 7-year-old Muhammet and his 6-year-old brother, Furkan Yıldırım, went to bed at home when death caught them. The room they were sleeping in was smashed into by an armored police vehicle that went out of control. 

Family members and eyewitnesses claim that they were not allowed to enter the crime scene. They said, “The prosecutor came the next day. The police officer driving the vehicle was drunk.” These claims were defined as “untrue” in a statement by the Şırnak Governor’s Office. 

The driver of the vehicle was arrested; the news story went into the archives of newspapers. 

A delegation from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) went to Silopi, met several people, including the arrested officer, and wrote a report. It is reported that in 2016 the first five months of 2017, 13 civilians, seven of them children, lost their lives in incidents involving armored vehicles, according to “unofficial” figures. 

The fact that 13 people have lost their lives in 17 months brings up the question, “Can’t these accidents and these deaths be prevented?” At least, this issue should be highlighted, no? 

Reading the statements in the report actually gives an idea about how these incidents could be prevented. For instance, local people told the delegation that swift movements in narrow streets were causing accidents.

For instance, the 17-ton Dragon-type vehicle that cost Muhammet and Furkan their lives was 22 years old. 

While the formula of withdrawing vehicles that are older than 20 years from the traffic is being discussed so that the automotive sector can receive a boost, can’t the state review the outdated vehicles in its own inventory? 

The statement of the driver went, “I finished my patrol around midnight and I was trying to park the vehicle.

The motor stopped. I noticed that the hydraulic system was out of order. I tried to start the vehicle, but it didn’t work. Because we were on a slope, the vehicle started moving. The breaks did not work. When I saw that the headlights were not on, I briefly shut down and started the main power switch. The headlights went back on. I pushed the vehicle’s start button, but it did not start. I changed the gear into park position, but the vehicle did not stop. I hit the red start button again; again it did not work. Meanwhile, because there was very little oil in the hydraulic, I turned at the first corner. Later I completely lost control of the wheel. In total I tried to switch it on and off four times. I hit something very hard. The speed indicator was not working. I did not see what I hit…” 

The CHP delegation also found out that the officer driving the vehicle did not have the necessary training and license to drive the vehicle. His statement went on: “I did not receive any special training to drive the vehicle.

 I have a normal B-type driver’s license. I started working in this vehicle eight months ago. Until two weeks ago, I was on duty at the tower. It has only been two weeks since I started driving the vehicle.” 

We call them “accidents.” We say “In a life where armored vehicles patrol the streets, it is natural to have deaths” or “It happens; we are sorry; what can we do?” and dodge these deaths. 

If proper arrangements are made and proper measures are taken, if rules are followed, if vehicles in good condition are driven by drivers with suitable licenses, then Furkan, Muhammet and others might have lived. 

Furkan and Muhammet might have lived…

Furkan and Muhammet might have lived…