This is the horrific moment an American NATO worker hits a 21-year-old woman while she is crossing the road in an accident that left her paralysed.
The incident took place in 2021, and the driver has now been jailed for three years, leaving the victim and her family who have been left almost penniless paying her medical bills, outraged, saying it is not enough.
CCTV footage shows the victim, named Ezgi Aydindag, being hit and thrown into the air by a US citizen, named in local media as Reginald Patrice Thevenin, 37, a helicopter technician for NATO.
Thevenin was speeding when he hit Ezgi and sent her flying down the street as onlookers watched on in horror.
The young woman can be seen flying through the air before hitting the ground, rolling along it and scraping on it due to the force with which she was hit.
The incident occurred when Thevenin was driving at a high speed on a road in the Bodrum municipality of Mugla City, Turkey, at around 11:15 am on 1st July 2021.
In the footage, Ezgi can be seen trying to get out of the way after spotting the car heading towards her but she is not fast enough and is hit head-on by the speeding vehicle.
As a result of the accident, the victim was left paralysed and had to undergo extensive surgery.
Ezgi’s family exhausted most of their resources and even had to sell their house to fund their daughter’s medical treatment.
In contrast, Thevenin was not detained but was released after providing a statement to law enforcement.
Thevenin faced trial for ‘injury with possible intent’ as he had allegedly violated traffic laws and was deemed at fault for the accident.
Thevenin was tried at the 6th Criminal Court of First Instance for the 9th and final hearing on 1st November, where he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment without the possibility of the sentence being reduced for “negligently causing injury”.
Ezgi, who was in a wheelchair in court, said after the verdict: “I am grateful for the judge’s decision because not everyone may always act this way.
“But it’s not enough for me; it means nothing to me.
“Everything may be over for him after three years, but my pain will not end after three years.”
Ezgi’s mother, Fikriye Aydindag, said: “Punishments for traffic accidents need to be more of a deterrent.
“After three years in prison, everyone can move on with their lives. But Ezgi’s and our lives will continue like this in three years.”
Ezgi’s father, Huseyin Aydindag, also expressed his dissatisfaction, saying: “The sentence given is below our expectations […].”
He added: “We have struggled and struggled until today.”
The verdict can be appealed.
