In Kapshagai, a hydrobike collided with a chair carrying vacationers, injuring four people. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

On July 25, Nazira Ospanbek went on vacation with her family and got into an accident. She is now bedridden. In an interview with a Sputnik Kazakhstan correspondent, she said the incident happened a month and a half ago but is still not being properly investigated.

How the incident happened

According to Nazira, four of them sat in a chair towed by a boat. After a while, the boat stopped. They were waved to return to shore, and her husband whistled as a signal. But the boat remained stationary for about a minute.

Then the boat moved to the right, while the chair with people shifted to the left. At that moment, a hydrobike, which appeared from nowhere, hit the chair.

"Three hydrobikes were racing. The one who hit us was distracted by the others and didn't see us. He didn't see the boat or our chair. While we were falling into the water and choking, the boat and hydrobike drivers were arguing with each other," says Nazira Ospanbek.

Injuries and hospital

Nazira's husband desperately called other boats for help. In the chair were the couple, their 13-year-old son, and their friends' 14-year-old daughter.

"Our friend's daughter was choking. We were barely lifted onto the boat and taken to shore. My bladder ruptured in two places, I had internal bleeding, four broken ribs, and a bruised lung. The surgery lasted five hours," says the victim.

The 14-year-old girl was in a coma for a week and also suffered multiple fractures. Now Nazira and the girl are bedridden.

Opinion on the guilty parties

According to Nazira, three parties are to blame: the hydrobike driver, the boat driver towing the chair, and the entrepreneur who rented out the hydrobike.

"They provide services to vacationers, so they must be responsible for people's safety. A special permit is required to drive a hydrobike. Also, the routes of hydrobikes and vacationers on the water should be marked. The boat driver who put people in the chair should also act responsibly," says Nazira.

But none of these requirements were met. The hydrobike was driven by a 37-year-old man.

"All three parties must answer. Likewise, the boat driver who failed to ensure the safety of vacationers is guilty. Currently, the boat driver and the hydrobike renter are not being prosecuted. Only the driver who hit us is under investigation. According to the investigator, no one forced us to sit in the chair, so he is not guilty," says the victim.

Hope for justice

Next summer, many vacationers will again ride boats and hydrobikes. Let no one experience our ordeal, says Nazira Ospanbek.

"The hydrobike driver nonchalantly says, 'What will you do, at most I'll be jailed for two months.' Will a person who caused so much suffering really escape punishment easily?" asks the victim.

The police department of Almaty region reported that the investigation into the incident is ongoing.