
A mother and daughter, survivors of the tragic accident of June 30 on the Tirana-Durres highway, are facing serious physical and psychological consequences after losing limbs as a result of the collision that killed the bus driver and injured 12 passengers.
Ornela Lazaj, the daughter and sister of the victims, recounted the dramatic moments the family experienced after learning about the incident.
She said that her mother and sister were traveling from Greece to Berat to attend the anniversary of her mother's brother's death. The family lost contact with them on the way back and first learned about the accident from the media.
" I can't find words to describe our current situation. Mom left Greece because she had her brother's anniversary in Berat and the day before I spoke to my mom and sister, the next day I had no contact when they were returning and we found out from the media that an accident had happened.
Dad heard about it in the media and, worried that his mom and sister weren't answering their phones, contacted relatives in Albania.
"When they went to the trauma hospital, they saw that it was the mother and sister. At the moment, they haven't given much information because of the situation. The sister and mother were sitting behind the driver ," Ornela Lazaj told RTSH.
According to her, both remain traumatized by what they experienced on the bus. They have confessed that the driver lost control of the vehicle and the protective barrier penetrated the bus, while the screams of the passengers could be heard inside.
" Today, my sister and mother are in a private hospital in Greece. At the moment, their condition is not good, and my sister's condition is more critical because in the accident she suffered the loss of her right leg and severe injuries to her left leg."
"Mom lost her left leg and has rib injuries in her chest. My sister will have another surgery this weekend. We had a lot of people contact us and the blood was available within an hour and I thank all the people who donated blood ," she said.
Doctors in Greece are continuing their treatment, and it is not ruled out that the girl could lose part of her second leg, due to severe injuries to her foot and multiple bone fractures.
" The sister and mother are very psychologically burdened, they talk about the accident they experienced. They tell how the driver lost control and the barrier went through the middle of the bus and they said they heard screaming. The mother said to the sister: it doesn't matter if we lost a leg, but we are alive.
"The hospital in Greece has performed a reduction on the leg they lost. Doctors say the sister may have lost part of her second leg because part of the sole of her foot has suffered a fracture of all the bones that connect the ankle to the toes ," the sister stressed.