Bus crash victims demanding thousands of euros from Lux Express

TALLINN - A severe bus accident in Saue at the end of July caused Estonian bus operator Lux Express tens of thousands of euros in losses, the bus driver no longer works for the company, which is seeking solutions to prevent similar incidents in the future, Postimees reports.

On July 28, at the 20th kilometer of the Tallinn-Pärnu-Ikla highway, a Lux Express passenger bus rear-ended a slow-moving truck with a damaged tire. There were 52 people on the bus, 29 of whom were injured.

"As of last week, passengers' claims against us totaled around 15,000 euros," Lux Express business director Ingmar Roos said.

There are people among the victims facing medical bills of several thousand euros and loss of work capacity. Personal belongings were also damaged, carrying both financial and emotional value. Most claims will be covered by liability insurance.

"Our customer service collected claims totaling about 2,000 euros that are not covered by insurance. We decided to settle these ourselves as an immediate measure," Roos said. "We are trying to act reasonably in this situation. We have acknowledged that the accident occurred due to our fault and are acting accordingly," he added.

The Lux Express bus involved in the accident was decommissioned.

"Reputation is not just about image; it determines whether and how passengers will trust us in the future," the company's business director noted.

Roos confirmed that the bus company realized a few days after the accident that it was caused by the driver's distraction and could have been avoided. The man admitted he was looking at the dashboard before the crash, which proved fatal.

Footage from the dashboard camera showed good road conditions and that the slow-moving truck was visible from a distance.

The driver was offered a health check to rule out medical issues.

"I spoke frankly with the driver. After the incident, he received a lot of attention and appeared on TV news. We did not want a situation where passengers would recognize him," Roos said.

"This was not a dismissal. We did not part ways maliciously or in anger," he added.

Roos noted that the lifelong bus driver did not remain unemployed.

The police have opened a misdemeanor investigation to clarify the circumstances of the accident.

"At the moment, there is no new information to share -- the expert assessment is ongoing, interviews are being conducted, and the incident is under investigation," Kerli Soe, communications specialist at the Police and Border Guard Board, said.

In 2023, buses were involved in 56 traffic accidents, 45 last year, and 46 so far this year.