«I am here to lay before you the pain» of this young girl, who suffers from «indelible scars that will accompany her throughout her life», pleaded master Hélène Castello-Picard.
His right leg amputated after the accident, he is a «victim already sentenced to life», insisted the lawyer, recalling how for this one, «on December 14, 2017 at 4:07 p.m.», his existence «brutally changed in horror».
The teenager, then aged 13, was also, by virtue of her position in the front row of the bus, «an essential witness», continued the lawyer: «As regards the fact that the barriers were closed, it is out of the question to question his testimony, simply because other witnesses have said the same thing, (…) for me it is clear, clear, precise».
The only defendant at this trial, the driver, Nadine Oliveira, 53, has always maintained that these barriers were lifted. Tried for homicide and involuntary injuries, she has been absent from the hearings since September 22 following her hospitalization.
Six children died in the accident, which occurred at a level crossing. 17 others were injured, eight of them seriously.
– «The driver is already dead»‘ –
«I remain convinced that this dramatic accident (…) is none other than the result of the distraction, the inattention of Nadine Oliveira, who crossed the level crossing without having been able to notice that the barriers were lowered», completed Me Castello-Picard.
«Because of the consequences» of the collision, «I understand that Nadine Oliveira is trying to escape her responsibility. The families of the victims cannot hear her,» continued the lawyer, her voice often overcome by emotion.
My clients «have no hatred, no resentment against Nadine Oliveira, they even had a certain empathy imagining that she could feel terrible guilt. Except that this feeling gradually turned into anger», had declared earlier at the bar Me Philippe Ayral.
For his colleague, Me Raymond Escalé, it is not possible to «say that it can happen to everyone»: Nadine Oliveira «must be more vigilant than you and me», noted the lawyer of Enzo, major for a few days, castigating the «unworthy defense» of the driver.
To the young amputated girl, who will soon be 18, regardless of the verdict: «the driver is already dead, imprisoned in herself», reported her lawyer. «She killed six children, others are disabled, it’s heavy on her conscience,» she also told her council.
Her parents, who «still do not accept the handicap» of their daughter, would have liked at least a short written note from the driver, «just to ask for forgiveness».
But Nadine Oliveira «did not want to hear the suffering of the families», lambasted Me Vanessa Brandone, for the relatives of three deceased children: «She did not have a word for these children whom she claimed to love».