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After several days of mourning, a rally will be held at the Essaouira beach, Friday April 23, to remember Polish national Aleksandra Garbacz, who died last week in a road accident. A minute of silence will be observed, at the request of her close friends in the city and as a show of empathy with her parents, living in Poland and of which she is the only daughter. Contacted by Yabiladi, Sif-Eddine Benjelloul, who accompanied the deceased and suffered the same accident, is still in shock.
«When the accident happened, we were riding on the cycling path.We were within a meter of each other, but we did not see the driver coming because we were run over from behind and he showed no sign of danger: he did not honk nor brake. On the scene, the gendarmerie did not find any tire marks indicating that he would have tried to brake».
Sif-Eddine Benjelloul and Aleksandra Garbacz were then rushed to the hospital in Essaouira. Admitted for four days, the young man suffered cracks in the ankle and a large wound in the leg, that required 28 stitches. «When the car came off the road and overturned us, I don't know exactly how it went, but Aleksandra would have been dragged on for some distance. I only remember having resisted so as not to lose consciousness», he told Yabiladi. As for Aleksandra, she succumbed to her injuries in hospital, after «the doctors did everything to keep her alive», including considering an amputation of her legs.
A case followed in both countries
The survivor of the accident confirmed to Yabiladi the opening of legal proceedings with the city's public prosecutor's office, but also an investigation planned in Poland. The country's consulate is in contact with the relevant Moroccan authorities to monitor the process, especially as Polish law criminalizes and severely penalizes driving without a license. Contacted by Yabiladi to ask about this possible coordination between the two countries, the Foreign affairs services in Warsaw declared that «the Polish embassy in Rabat has been officially informed of the road accident» of which one of the victims is a Polish citizen, «then of her death».
For his part, Sif-Eddine Benjelloul indicates that «Aleksandra's parents have been in contact with the consular services to inquire about the situation in Morocco». He also plans to take his case to justice, hoping for «zero tolerance» towards the driver.
According to him, «no reason» could indeed explain the tragedy. «It is a national road (n ° 1), clear, in a straight line and in very good condition, with a double-track, plus a cycling track, known as the road to Casablanca», he said.
«Apart from the accident, many say that this elected official, president of the municipality of El Hanchane, always drive at a high speed. But it has been five years since he got behind the wheel of his service car without a driver's license. How come he was never arrested by the gendarmerie?», Sif-Eddine asked. The absence of a driver's license was confirmed by the courts, with which «Polish consular officials are following the case very closely».
The young man also says he received a visit from the Polish consul on Wednesday, and he received a confirmation that the driver was using a state car outside of work hours. The local representative is currently hospitalized in a clinic in Marrakech. «Everything happened quickly, shortly before the iftar, at a time when the road is used very little. This man simply does not respect the law so any other reason is out of discussion», Sif-Eddine regretted.
