Bashavtotrans ran red light, must pay for mansion repair
Bashavtotrans was found guilty of the accident that damaged a historic building in central Ufa. That is why the Arbitration Court of Bashkortostan decided that the state carrier must pay for restoration. The investigation into the high-profile accident lasted three years. UFA1.RU studied the court«s decision and provides details.
On 30 January 2023, an accident occurred at the intersection of Tsuryupy and Dostoevsky streets: buses «Lotos» (Avtomig) and «Nefaz» (Bashavtotrans) with passengers collided. As a result, the private bus crashed into the Yakushev Mansion, built in 1905, and damaged it.
The initial investigation by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (GIBDD) found the driver of the Avtomig bus at fault for running a red light. In March 2023, the court upheld his guilt, as did the appeal. The man had his license revoked for 18 months, but he did not consider himself guilty.
Taking advantage of this, the Bashkortostan Cultural Heritage Directorate demanded that Avtomig pay 4.2 million rubles ($46,700 at current rates) for the mansion«s restoration. The carrier refused. So they went to court. Bashavtotrans was a third party, essentially just a witness. But soon everything changed.
In court, the parties requested detailed expert examinations, which took up most of the time. According to the experts« conclusions, Bashavtotrans was at fault for the accident. They confirmed that Avtomig was driving on a yellow light, but stated that the driver had no opportunity to stop without creating an emergency situation. Therefore, it was logical to continue driving. And the vehicles that were turning were obliged to yield to him.
At the same time, experts examined the recording from the Bashavtotrans bus, which showed that the state carrier sped through a red light, and it was because of this that the accident occurred — the Nefaz collided with the Lotos, which then by inertia crashed into the building. According to the expert opinion, Avtomig would have been able to pass normally if not for Bashavtotrans.
Consequently, since the fault for the accident lies with the state carrier, the 4.2 million rubles must be recovered from it. However, the court also conducted examinations on the condition of the building: the brickwork at the bottom on Tsuryupy Street was destroyed, the right door casing was destroyed, pilasters on Tsuryupy were damaged, and cracks appeared in places on the building. Experts estimated not 4 million, but only about 400,000 rubles ($4,400 at current rates).
In total, 372,900 rubles ($4,100 at current rates) was recovered from Bashavtotrans for the repair itself, plus 16,400 rubles ($182) for the expert examination, and 10,300 rubles ($114) in state fees. The claims against Avtomig were dismissed.
Whether the state carrier agrees with the decision is not yet clear; it has about a month to appeal.
