T

he family members of four victims in last week’s horrific car crash in Gambir, Central Jakarta, are seeking compensation from the reckless driver in a civil lawsuit, their lawyer said on Wednesday.

“We are still considering how much money we want [the suspects] to pay, based on the financial conditions of the victims’ families,” lawyer Ronny Talapessy told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Ronny represents the families of 23-year-old Muhammad Akbar, 22-year-old Firmansyah, 16-year-old Buhary, and 16-year-old Muhammad Hudzaifah, all residents of Tanah Tinggi in Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.

The four were on their way home after playing soccer at the National Monument Park on that fateful Sunday morning when a black Daihatsu Xenia swerved off Jl. M.I. Ridwan Rais and plowed into thirteen pedestrians, killing nine people. All four youths were among the casualties.

The car’s driver, Apriyani Susanti, has been charged under the Criminal Code for murder and, the 2009 Traffic Law for fatal reckless driving. Apriyani and her three friends, Arisandi, Denny Mulyana, and Adestina Putri, have also been charged under the 2009 Narcotics Law for illegal drug possession and drug abuse.

Ronny said that the lawsuit would also be filed against all the passengers in Apriyani’s car. “With all due respect to the suspects and their ongoing legal process, the victims’ families felt that this civil lawsuit will serve as a way for the suspects to be held responsible for what they’ve done,” Ronny said.

He cited the condition of Firmansyah’s wife, 20-year-old Dini Ardiani, who is seven months pregnant. “With Firmansyah gone, the four suspects must be responsible in paying for the childbirth process and in taking care of the child until he or she reaches adulthood, including his or her education,” he said.

The lawsuit will be filed to the North Jakarta District Court, because Apriyani lived in the region, Ronny said. “We will wait until the suspects’ case files are handed over to prosecutors, because we want to see their criminal charges first before filing the civil lawsuit,” he added.

Separately, the police said on Wednesday that a joint team of 14 doctors from the police, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), and the Drug Dependency Hospital were conducting thorough medical examinations of the four suspects.

“The health check will be in several stages over the next three or four days. We will check the physical and mental conditions [of the suspects],” team chief Sr. Comr. Budyo Prasetyo, a doctor from the National Narcotics Agency, told reporters.

He said that all four suspects were virtually healthy during the test on Thursday. “They were cooperative and calm throughout the test.”

City police narcotics chief Sr. Comr. Nugroho Aji said that the four suspects underwent the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory test on Wednesday. “All four suspects had no problem in answering all 567 questions.”

The four suspects are scheduled to undergo interviews with mental health experts on Friday. (mim)