China News Service, Beijing, March 23 (Wei Xianghui) On the 19th, a road traffic accident occurred in the Xijiata Tunnel of the G59 Hubei Expressway (Northbound direction), and 14 people were killed.
On March 22, China News Service called the Traffic Management Bureau of the Shanxi Provincial Public Security Department to inquire about the progress of the accident investigation. The operator stated that there was only one driver on the bus at the time of the incident, and the investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing. The operator denied the claim online that the driver was driving due to fatigue.
It is reported that the vehicle involved in the accident had a license plate from Henan Province and was a tourist bus with 51 people on board. Some of the passengers were from Tangjiazhuang Village, Gaozi Street, Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, and most of them were 60-70 years old.
China News Network learned from many family members of the injured in the accident that 15 people from Tangjiazhuang Village participated in the group this time, and 6 people have died so far. The family members have rushed to Shanxi to deal with the follow-up. A family member said that elderly people in the village sign up to participate in the group's travel activities every year, and have also participated in outbound travel activities such as Macau and Thailand. "They all hang out together a lot, and I've never heard of anything happening before."
These elderly people participated in the "Senior Group Tour" launched by the local "Jiangsu Dongshan International Travel Agency Zhenjiang Sales Department". The project was called "Shaanxi Panoramic Boutique Pure Fun Two-Bedroom Seven-Day Tour". The price per person is around 2,000 yuan.
According to the itinerary, the group took a train to Zhengzhou on March 19. The local pick-up agency sent a bus and tour guide to pick up the group at Zhengzhou Railway Station, and then went to Linfen in Shanxi, Yan'an, Xi'an, Weinan in Shaanxi, Sanmenxia in Henan and other places. Travel; it is expected to arrive at Zhengzhou Railway Station on the evening of March 23 and take the K736 train back home.
On March 21, China News Network contacted Jie Yu, the legal person of the Zhenjiang Sales Department of Jiangsu Dongshan International Travel Agency. She said that the bus was arranged by the local transportation company. She did not know the driver's situation and did not know that only one driver was arranged. She also said she didn't know which local agency was responsible.
According to Red Star News, Xie Yu’s mother is also a villager in Tangjiazhuang Village, so everyone in the village participating in the group tour signed up through her mother. In addition to the more than ten villagers from Tangjiazhuang Village who signed up, the rest of the group participants also signed up at the sales department where Xie Yu worked. After the registration is completed, it will be reported to Jiangsu Dongshan International Travel Agency Head Office through the Zhenjiang Sales Department, and the head office will connect with the local travel agency at the tourist destination.
Tianyancha APP shows that Jiangsu Dongshan International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. has multiple branches, and 41 of them are still in existence. The legal representative of the travel agency is Wu Jinjin. After the incident, a staff member of Jiangsu Dongshan International Travel Agency responded to the media and said that they were cooperating with relevant work and had provided materials to government departments.
Lawyer Lan Tianbin, senior partner of Jiangsu Fade Dongheng Law Firm, told China News Service that in this incident, it is necessary to find out the cause of the accident, assign responsibilities for the accident, and then handle it in accordance with the law.
According to the "Regulations on the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law", passenger vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, and semi-trailer tractors used for highway operations must install and use tachographs that comply with national standards. At the same time, the regulations also stipulate that driving a motor vehicle is prohibited from driving a motor vehicle for more than 4 hours without stopping or taking a rest for less than 20 minutes.
According to Article 39 of the "Safety Management Specifications for Road Passenger Transport Enterprises", "Passenger transport enterprises shall strictly abide by the requirements for driver deployment for long-distance passenger transport: (1) Passenger transport with a one-way operating mileage exceeding 400 kilometers (direct passenger transport on expressways exceeding 600 kilometers) "Vehicles should be equipped with 2 or more passenger drivers." Long-distance passenger vehicles usually refer to self-operated passenger vehicles with a one-way mileage of more than 400 kilometers (direct passenger transportation on highways exceeds 600 kilometers), excluding non-operational passenger vehicles owned by the unit.
Lan Tianbin said that travel agencies are required to purchase travel agency liability insurance in accordance with regulations. After an accident occurs, consumers can sue the travel agency and insurance company, and the travel agency will bear the shortfall in compensation from the insurance company. According to the "Tourism Law", if a travel agency fails to perform its obligations under a package tour contract or performs its contractual obligations inconsistently with the agreement, it shall bear liability for breach of contract such as continuing to perform, taking remedial measures, or compensating for losses in accordance with the law; if it causes personal injury or property loss to tourists, it shall Bear liability for compensation in accordance with the law.
Lan Tianbin said that the "Tourism Law" stipulates that if a tourist suffers personal injury or property loss due to the fault of the local travel agent or fulfillment assistant, the tourist can ask the local travel agency or fulfillment assistant to bear compensation liability, or he can ask the tour operator Bear the liability for compensation; after the tour operator assumes the responsibility, it can seek compensation from the local agency and the performance assistant. (over)