Penza, 16 June 2016. PenzaNews. The 29-year-old driver of an Ulyanovsk marshrutka (shuttle bus) involved in a large crash on the M5 “Ural” federal highway by Penza, which resulted in 9 deaths, faces a criminal case under Part 5, Art. 264 of the Criminal Code, “Violation of Traffic Laws and Use of Vehicles.” The case has been transferred to the court.

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“According to investigation, in the afternoon of March 2, the Mercedes-223210 small passenger bus with passengers was going from Penza to Ulyanovsk. At the 666th km of the highway, next to the intersection with a road towards the Nikolo-Rayskoe village of the Gorodische area, it crossed to the opposing lane and crashed into a freighter truck,” says the message published on the website of the Investigative Committee.

As a result, 9 passengers of the shuttle bus lost their lives, and a 4-year-old child received grave injuries, it notes.

“According to investigation, the traffic accident was caused by the grave breach of traffic laws by the driver of the shuttle bus, who disregarded the heavy highway traffic, as well as road and weather conditions, and crossed onto the opposing lane. The investigation was accompanied with a number of medical, criminal and engineering forensic examinations. The study of the driver’s previous record uncovered several fines for traffic law violations,” it points out.

The driver in question fully admitted the guilt, it states.

As PenzaNews reported earlier, the tragic accident that involved a freight truck and a Mercedes minibus en route from Penza to Ulyanovsk occurred on the 665th kilometer of the M5 “Ural” federal highway in the afternoon of 2 March 2016, leaving 9 people dead – Anastasia Lazareva, 20-year-old student of the Art College, a 24-year-old pregnant woman, three women born in 1936, 1958 and 1983, and four men born in 1956, 1970, 1985 and 1990.

Three people – the two drivers and a 4-year-old boy – were hospitalized in moderately severe condition.

According to sources, the minibus used summer tires and exceeded the speed limit, which caused the tragedy. In addition, the driver, an Ulyanovsk citizen, had been fined multiple times for speed limit violations.

The Penza region law enforcement forces initiated two criminal cases on the tragic incident: under Part 3, Art. 238 of the Criminal Code, “Production, Storage, Carriage or Sale of Goods and Products, Fulfillment of Works or Rendering of Services Which Do Not Meet Safety Standards,” and under Part 5, Art. 264 of the Criminal Code, “Violation of Traffic Rules and Rules for Operation of Transport Vehicles.”

In addition, the Ulyanovsk region prosecutor’s office will be investigating the company “Vektor-Argo” that owns the crashed minibus.

The Penza region authorities paid compensations of 200,000 rubles to the families of the regional citizens that died in the tragic accident.

The driver of the Mercedes minibus was placed under arrest.