News

The evidence gathered by the Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia was found by the court to be sufficient to sentence Viktor Tikhonov. He was found guilty of committing an offence under Part 5 of Article 264 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violation of the rules for traffic safety, which has involved by negligence an infliction of grave injury and death to two or more persons).

The investigation and the court established that, on December 25, 2017, driver of a LiAZ bus Tikhonov had run over pedestrians on a bus stop and in a pedestrian underpass near the Moscow subway station Slavyansky Bulvar.

Investigators reconstructed the timeline of the accident that proved wrong driver’s arguments, who refused to admit his guilt. Among other things, investigators checked the design documents at the Odintsovo branch of MosTransAvto, the operating condition of the bus, the way the drivers’ work had been organised, as well as the information on their training and classes. Together with relevant specialists, investigators established that the bus had been operating properly.

A forensic vehicle examination and the gathered evidence indicate that Viktor Tikhonov had lost control over the road situation and the vehicle’s movements by criminal negligence and disregard of his duties, acting against the safety of other participants of the traffic. As a result, he had pressed the accelerator pedal by mistake, which caused the bus to gain speed to 23 km per hour at least.

The investigation established that later Tikhonov had gone from the road to the sidewalk positioned to his right. At that, he had failed to take timely and efficient measures to stop the bus - had used neither pedal nor parking brakes, nor other technical means of breaking, such as the additional breaking system, had not switched the ignition down and had not used the emergency switch. Thus, Tikhonov had kept driving on the sidewalk, and then the bus had collided with a wall of the pedestrian underpass of the Slavyansky Bulvar subway station and gone down the stairs. Tikhonov had run over pedestrians along his way, four of whom died on the scene, two received grave injuries, and at least eight others suffered various wounds.

The court sentenced Tikhonov to four years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.