Nažidla bus accident | |
Coordinates: | 48.6866°N 14.458°W |
Date: | March 8, 2003 |
Location: | Nažidla, Bujanov |
Country: | Czech Republic |
Operator: | LSK autobusy s.r.o. |
Type: | Single-vehicle crash |
Passengers: | 53 |
Deaths: | 20 |
Injuries: | 33 (26 severely) |
On March 8, 2003, near the settlement of Nažidla in Bujanov, Czechia, a Neoplan Skyliner double-decker tour bus carrying 53 people veered off European route E55 and overturned, rolling seven meters down a slope and killing 19.[1] [2] A twentieth victim died of his injuries two and a half years later.[3] 26 more people were severely injured. The passengers were members and family of the TJ Slovan Karlovy Vary swimming club returning from a skiing trip in the Alps; half of the victims were under 20 years old.[4] [3] It is considered the worst transport accident on Czech territory since the breakup of Czechoslovakia.[3]
The bus' driver, Pavel Krbec, who survived the crash, was sentenced to eight years in prison for endangerment, but was released after five.[4] Krbec was a taxi driver who had a bus license, but had not gone through the required training to drive professionally and had faked his credentials.[3]