President Admits She Was Not Wearing a Seatbelt
Nataša Pirc Musar reveals details of the accident in the Kastelec tunnel. Security expert Denis Čaleta criticized the delay in information and the omission in the Office of the President's statement.
Nataša Pirc Musar reveals details of the accident in the Kastelec tunnel. Security expert Denis Čaleta criticized the delay in information and the omission in the Office of the President's statement.
Slovenia's President Nataša Pirc Musar has spoken about the traffic accident that occurred in the Kastelec tunnel on the coastal motorway, admitting that she was not wearing a seatbelt at the moment of the collision. In an interview with 24ur, she said she bears full responsibility and described the dramatic moments of the crash, after which she suffered a broken collarbone.
The President recounted how everything unfolded in a matter of seconds. "I remember braking, then a slight impact with the vehicle in front of us, and then we were thrown into the tunnel wall. I felt intense pain, but the emergency services arrived very quickly," she told 24ur. She added that the emergency team took about an hour to treat her, immobilize her, and transfer her to a vehicle, after which they drove for about 45 minutes to the hospital in Izola.
According to her, the security detail had previously checked the route and estimated travel time, and that day they set off according to plan with an additional 20 minutes of buffer time. They entered the tunnel around 4:30 PM. "The first two days were painful, which is understandable. Rehabilitation will take between four and six weeks, but now I need to rest for about two weeks. I believe the recovery will be quick," she said.
The Slovenian public was further unsettled by the fact that they learned of the accident involving the head of state 18 hours later, and it took three days for the first official information about the cause to be released. Pirc Musar explained that medical examinations lasted until late in the evening, and it was only around 11 PM that she could call her husband, who was on an official trip, and inform her staff. "Only the next morning could doctors confirm that the injury would not require surgery," she added.
Security expert Denis Čaleta, speaking on RTV SLO's show Odmevi, criticized the delay in information. "When it comes to the highest representatives of the government, every piece of information is important to the public. If that information is not timely or is delayed, the public always forms the opinion that something is being hidden, and disinformation always follows," said Čaleta.
He particularly highlighted the omission in the Office of the President's statement. "The important information that was absolutely missing was that there were two other people in the vehicle with the President who were not part of the escort. That is certainly information that belonged there," said Čaleta, adding that such cases are unusual. The Office of the President defended itself by saying that the security service had approved the transport of the friends, who were supposed to participate with Pirc Musar in the humanitarian-sports event Pogi Challenge.
According to information so far, two vehicles from the official escort were involved in the collision. At the head of the convoy was a police Audi, followed immediately by a Mercedes-Benz V300 van driven by a 52-year-old police officer, with the President and her companion inside. Due to insufficient distance, the Mercedes struck the rear of the Audi with its front, and the officer is suspected of causing the accident through negligence.
Čaleta, however, finds this extremely odd. "Anyone who knows anything about the methodology and technique of protecting individuals knows that vehicles in protected convoys drive extremely close to one another, precisely to prevent other vehicles from cutting into the protected convoy," he told 24ur. He added that the severe injuries suggest that the passengers may not have been wearing seatbelts, which the President confirmed today. "Because in a collision of two vehicles, such severe injuries are certainly a question that the investigation itself will answer," Čaleta concluded.
After a night in the hospital, Pirc Musar was released to home care and returned to Croatian Istria, where she is spending her previously planned annual vacation. Due to doctors' orders for strict rest, she had to cancel her attendance at the Sinjska Alka, and she has already apologized to Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who wished her a speedy recovery. According to her, as a protected person, she is only allowed to travel in vehicles owned by the Office of the President or the police throughout the day, i.e., 24 hours.
