türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Hürriyet Newspaper, 29 November 2018)
This is what's known as 'collateral damage'.
Truck driver Şeymus İlan took a job with a construction company to
bring supplies to an American base in Iraq. İlan departed Mardin with
a load of gravel on 17 March 2005, as part of a convoy. However, İlan
got a flat tire, fell back from the convoy and then rushed alone to make
it to the base in Mosul.
One hundred meters from his delivery point, İlan was shot by U.S.
soldiers at the entrance to the base. After 15 days in the hospital, İlan
died but his death was kept secret from his wife, 3 children and his
parents. They were told by U.S. and company officials that İlan had
been taken to the U.S. hospital at Ramstein, Germany, for treatment.
Sometime later, U.S. Army Captain Andrew S. Lunoff wrote a letter
to İlan's family, explaining that İlan had been mistakenly shot by U.S.
soldiers on 18 March 2005. Lunoff added that İlan's identity had been
recorded as 'John Doe' and his body was burned (!). İlan's family filed
a compensation suit in Istanbul against the construction company, with
his wife Zekiye İlan, their 3 children and his parents demanding
restitution.
Whoops!
The Turkish firm Gözal asserted that it bore no responsibility for İlan's
death, which they claimed occurred when İlan failed to stop as ordered
by U.S. soldiers. Another firm involved, Serka İnşaat, claimed that
İlan had not been its employee and distanced itself from the incident.
Nevertheless, a court-appointed expert witness found that the two firms
were each 40% liable and that İlan bore 20% of the blame for failing to
respond to the U.S. soldiers' warnings and gestures.
The two Turkish firms were ordered to pay Zekiye İlan 1,254,000 TL
in material compensation and 80,000 TL for her suffering. The 3
children and parents were awarded 931,000 in material compensation
and 65,000 TL for their suffering. The two firms are appealing the
verdict.
Not a pretty picture.
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