Expert testimony delayed in bus trial

Expert testimony delayed in bus trial

JAKARTA (JP): Judge Soemarjono of North Jakarta District Court
refused yesterday to hear the testimony of an expert witness in
the trial of the driver whose bus plunged into a river in March
last year, upholding an objection taken by the defense.

The defendant's lawyer, Sangap Sidauruk, told the judge that
Article 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code provided that the
testimony of an expert witness could only be heard after the
court had heard the testimony of all ordinary witnesses,
including that of victims.

"Based on that article, I request that the honorable judge not
hear the testimony of Slamet Purnomo, a doctor of Koja Hospital,
North Jakarta, in this session," Sangap said.

Prosecutor H.P.W. Soekewi told the judge that the North
Jakarta prosecutor's office had tried to summons other witnesses,
but had encountered difficulties because their addresses had
changed.

Judge Soemarjono upheld the objection and postponed the
testimony of the expert witness.

It is alleged that on March 6, last year, Ramses drove a Metro
Mini (smaller-sized) bus along Jl. Yos Sudarso in North Jakarta
at a speed of between 70 and 90 kilometers per hour. The bus in
question was a number P07, which plies the Semper-Senen route.

According to the prosecution case, he continued speeding
despite pleas from a number of passengers, who sought to remind
him that there were children aboard.

The prosecution claims that Ramses then lost control of the
bus which, shortly afterwards, plunged into the Sunter River.

Twenty people died at the scene of the accident, 13 died later
in hospital and another 13 were injured.

Ramses, 33, fled the scene of the accident and went into
hiding in North Sumatra, his home province. Police arrested him
six months later.

Another doctor

Before ruling that the expert witness' evidence be excluded
for the time being, the judge had already examined another
medical doctor, Hari Sukowihandono of Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital (RSCM), Central Jakarta, as an ordinary witness.

The prosecution says Hari treated Ramses in RSCM's emergency
department shortly after the driver fled the accident scene.

Hari told the court he had treated Ramses on March 6, and that
the patient had been suffering from wounds to both his arms and
to his forehead.

"His wounds were classified as minor injuries but I decided to
send him to a neurologist; since Ramses was in a state of
unconsciousness during treatment," the doctor said.

He said that some of the wounds had already been bandaged.
"Maybe he had already received treatment somewhere else," Hari
said.

Hari acknowledged that he had learned from that evening's
television's news that there had been a terrible bus accident at
the Sunter river, but that he had not realized that the man whom
he had treated earlier at the hospital had been the driver.

"I realized that the patient was the driver after the hospital
director asked me to make a medical statement for the police," he
said, adding that the driver was registered as Ramses Silitonga.

After hearing Hari's testimony, the judge heard evidence from
Eduakim Panjaitan, the owner of the bus and Ramses's employer.

Eduakim said that the bus, a 1984 model, was in good condition
when Ramses left the depot on the day of the crash.

"I saw Ramses himself check the machine oil, the radiator
water, the battery and the brakes. Everything was in order, Your
Honor," said Eduakim.

Brake failure

In contrast to this, Ramses had told the court in an earlier
sitting that the vehicle's brakes had not been very good, citing
the fact that he had had to apply them several times to bring the
bus to a halt.

Eduakim said that he had been in church at the time accident
occurred.

"I was shocked when my daughter told me that my bus had
plunged into the Sunter river and that a lot of people had been
killed," he said.

The owner said he realized that Ramses had run away because
his body was never found.

He said that Ramses had worked as his driver since January
last year, after he had produced a public transportation license
and work experience certificates.

The last witness called, a woman named Darsih Daiman, who is
one of the 13 crash survivors, said that the driver had been
reprimanded by some of the passengers, who had asked him to slow
down, but that Ramses had ignored them and continued speeding.

"I was very frightened because the bus was speeding so fast. I
heard a lot of passengers screaming and all I can remember is the
bus bouncing, then hitting the sidewalk and plunging into the
river," Darsih said.

Darsih said that she had been thrown out of the bus into the
middle of the polluted river.

"I cannot swim, but I managed to get to the river bank," she
said.

Judge Soemarjono adjourned the trial until Feb. 9. (mas)