Last update - 00:00 14/05/2007
State may charge Israel Railways execs with manslaughter
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent
The state is considering charging two senior Israel Railways executives with negligent manslaughter in three different cases. It was recently reported that the Israel Police recommended indictments against IR CEO Ofer Linczewski and Deputy CEO of Operations and Maintenance Harel Even, following an investigation of the railway accident at Beit Yehoshua last June. Five people were killed and dozens injured in the accident.
Haaretz has learned that the State Prosecutor's Office is now considering indictments against Linczewski and Even in two additional accidents. The first, at Kibbutz Revidim in June 2005, resulted in eight deaths and dozens of injuries. In the second, which took place about two weeks ago in Ramle, a man standing on the tracks was hit and killed.
The Central District Police submitted its findings on the Beit Yehoshua accident to the prosecution about a month ago. The special team appointed to investigate the accident recommended indicting not only Linczewski and Even but also an additional dozen or so IR officials. The investigation was one of the most complex and wide-ranging carried out by the Israel Police, and the state seems likely to adopt the police recommendation to prosecute.
It now appears the examiners' colleagues who are investigating the Revidim accident are planning to follow in their footsteps and recommend an indictment regarding the 2005 accident as well.
In the Revidim accident, a number of passenger carriages derailed when the train plowed into a dump truck that was crossing the tracks. The accident renewed the public debate over the need to post spotters at level crossings 24 hours a day.
In regard to the Beit Yehoshua accident, a year after the one at Revidim, the police attempted to determine why the train's engineer was not warned of the presence of a vehicle on the tracks even after the truck was detected. Something similar occurred in the accident in Ramle two weeks ago. The accident was originally reported as a suicide, but no support for that allegation has been found.
In its investigation of the accident, the Coastal Plain District Police discovered that an IR spotter had detected a man walking on the track, but for reasons that are still unclear the report did not reach the engineer.
The Coastal Plain police said in response Sunday that the Ramle accident was still under investigation. A spokesman confirmed that the possibility of negligent manslaughter was being examined but refused to give more details.
With regard to the Revidim accident, the Justice Ministry yesterday said, "the case is in a very advanced stage of investigation but we cannot release additional details."
The state, which has already revealed the disclosure of "very serious failures" regarding the Beit Yehoshua accident, is expected to issue a decision shortly with regard to prosecution.