The tourist bus involved in the tragic accident that took place on April 17, 2019, on Estrada Ponta da Oliveira, in Caniço, was this morning returned to the company that owns it, Sociedade de Automóveis da Madeira (SAM).
After the accident, the heavy vehicle transporting passengers was removed to a warehouse in Parque Empresarial da Camacha, where it was the subject of technical expertise, within the scope of the Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation to determine the causes and criminal responsibilities of the accident that resulted in death. of 29 German tourists, being the most serious road accident in Madeira. The specialists did not detect any mechanical or technical malfunctions in the bus of the German brand MAN.
At the end of the inquiry, the Public Prosecutor’s Office accused the driver José Guilherme Sousa of committing 29 crimes of homicide by gross negligence and 5 crimes of offense to physical integrity by negligence. The only defendant in the case requested the opening of an investigation, which did not happen, due to delays in notifying the families of the victims in Germany. On 10 May last, the defendant died of a prolonged illness, which led to the termination of the criminal proceedings.
Also as a consequence, objects seized at the order of the process can be handed over to the legitimate owners, which has now happened with the bus. This morning, at the warehouse where the vehicle has been parked for the last four years, the judicial administrator of the Comarca da Madeira Adelino Cruz appeared, who formalized the delivery to the representative of SAM. Also present were PSP agents, representatives of Madeira Parques Empresariais and technicians from the towing company that removed the bus.
The vehicle was left with structural damage as a result of the accident, so its destination is scrap metal.