A tragic accident that took the life of a 7-year-old child has shocked Elbasan and public opinion. Director Petri Bozo was arrested by police after the vehicle he was driving hit the minor near the 9-year-old “Sulejman Rrançi” school in the village of Mengël. While investigations continue to shed light on the full dynamics of the event, evidence from the scene of the accident, the director’s first statement and a previous interview he gave about road accidents have brought the case back to the center of public debate.

What is known about the moments before the accident?

According to reports, the minor, Algit, had accompanied his sister to school with his mother, while he himself attended afternoon classes at the same institution. Witnesses said that the mother and son were moving towards a nearby store when the child allegedly got separated from his mother's hand and was hit by a vehicle.

Petri Bozo's first testimony

After being escorted to the police station, Bozo stated that he was driving at a low speed. "I was driving at a low speed because of the speed limiter, the 'cop lying down' on the road. I greeted a police officer who was there. Then I hit an object. I didn't see what it was, I tried to swerve when I felt the impact. When I got out, I saw the child," he is reported to have said.

Residents: "The ambulance arrived late"

Residents of the area have indicated that after the accident the ambulance arrived late and that the child was transported to the hospital in a random car.

"All the men who were in the bar came and pulled him out of the car. We called the ambulance, but it didn't come, and he was taken to the hospital in a random car. The ambulance arrived a quarter of an hour later. It's impossible to count how many accidents there have been, so many accidents," said a resident of the area.

Another resident said that a fatal accident had occurred in the same location before and described the road as very dangerous.

"A boy pulled the child out very carefully, while the driver said that I was on a national road, I have my right. He said that I was going 10 km per hour. Another time it happened in the same place and another child was crushed. The road in this neighborhood has become very dangerous," the resident said.

Suspicions and evidence from the area

However, according to sources cited by the media, authorities suspect that the vehicle may have been over the speed limit. Residents of the area have also claimed that the car was traveling at high speed.

The previous statement that was brought back to attention

A previous statement by Petri Bozo, given during an interview, where he spoke about his experiences driving, has also returned to the network .

"[Kam pësuar 20 aksidente], por nuk kanë qenë të gjitha rrugore, kanë qenë edhe me kuaj, edhe me motor. Ato ishin mjetet e kohës, në kohën që nuk kishte makina, i hipnim kalit. [Jam shofer] super i sigurt, asnjë aksident nuk ka qenë për fajin tim, sepse unë jam shumë i kujdesshëm, pavarëvisht se mund ta drejtoj makinën pak fast [shpejt], por përgjithësisht respektoj rregullat dhe sinjalistikën dhe për më tepër, njoh shumë mirë mjetin që i hipi." 

Reagimi i shkollës

Shkolla 9-vjeçare “Sulejman Rrançi” në Mengël ka reaguar me një mesazh prekës për humbjen e nxënësit. Në dedikim, stafi shkruan se “zemrat tona janë të thyera” dhe e përshkruan Algitin si “një engjëll të vogël” që u largua shumë herët.

Hetimet vazhdojnë

Grupi hetimor po punon për të zbardhur plotësisht dinamikën e aksidentit. Pjesë e hetimit pritet të jenë këqyrja e vendngjarjes, pamjet e kamerave të sigurisë dhe dëshmitë e personave që ndodheshin pranë zonës në momentin e përplasjes.