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Bus driver in banana attack nightmare

Published: 19 Nov 11 14:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37450/20111119/

A woman ran onto the bus, and threw a half-eaten banana into bus driver Zekerija Velagic's eye. The 46-year-old woman from Skåne has now been fined for the incident, reported newspaper Aftonbladet.

The woman claims that bus driver Velagic stopped only inches away from hitting her and her daughter, whom she was teaching to drive. When she ran onto the bus to give the driver a good talking-to, the banana simply slipped out of her hand.

"I've been dizzy since March, and my hands shake. Since my muscles are weak I drop things easily. I was holding the banana whilst standing there gesturing, and suddenly it flew away. But it hit the interior of the bus," she said, according to Aftonbladet.

Zekerija Velgic had a different version of the events. When he stopped at the bus stop to drop off passengers, the woman ran onto the bus, started yelling, and hit him with the banana without warning.

Later that day he experienced pain in his eye, and visited the doctor, who concluded that he was suffering from vitreous detachment.

"She hit me right in the face with the half-eaten banana. I had banana all over me, on my tie, my shirt and my eye," he said to Aftonbladet.

"It felt offensive, when 30 passengers saw the whole thing," he continued, and told the newspaper that he initially considered quitting as a bus driver after the incident.

The juicy affair ended up in Lund District Court, which ruled in the bus driver's favour after a witness - sitting on the front row of the bus - supported his version of events.

"I feel unprotected legally," said the disappointed woman about the court's ruling.

"It's unreasonable that a banana could cause this much damage. However, bus drivers should get their act together and not just thunder on with a 14 metre long bus. This could've ended in disaster," said the woman, who according to Aftonbladet will be appealing the court's decision.

The Local/cg (news@thelocal.se)

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15:54 November 19, 2011 by Attestupa
This is truly shocking. To call this a nightmare is an understatement. I often wake up screaming and in a cold sweat, having dreamt of being assaulted by a golden delicious. A few nights ago it was broccoli. I don't know how to stop these dreadful visions. My great fear is being humiliated by a low-fat yoghurt. Strawberry flavour. I try to soldier on, but it's very tough.
16:07 November 19, 2011 by Already in use
@Attestupa Thanks for the laugh :o)
18:16 November 19, 2011 by Just_Kidding
She lied to the court and she hates the bus driver for driving a long bus. Sorry lady, next time they will jam 30 people in a Honda Civic.
18:50 November 19, 2011 by Steggles
A Dizzy woman on the road teaching her daughter to drive!

I think that is more danger than a flying banana.
18:52 November 19, 2011 by Johno
Brilliant translation. "stopped only inches away from hitting her and her daughter" = "var en hårsmån från att köra rakt in i dem" .
19:02 November 19, 2011 by McChatter
Ban bananas!
19:29 November 19, 2011 by darky
The bus driver is probably an immigrant or even if he is a swede, he is only a citizen. These things happen all the time and is just to say u don't belong to this society. Until the end of time, such acts will never cease. Well.......
19:41 November 19, 2011 by Attestupa
The headline should have been "Bananadrama"

A lost opportunity.
20:05 November 19, 2011 by thinkaboutit
"I've been dizzy since March, and my hands shake. Since my muscles are weak I drop things easily." Lady, you have no business behind the wheel, let alone teaching someone else to drive. As for the bus driver...slow down! A moving vehicle is far more dangerous than a piece of fruit, and you must have been close to hitting her if she was upset enough to attack you with a banana.
20:06 November 19, 2011 by Svensksmith
Lucky for the bus driver she wasn't eating a pineapple.
22:28 November 19, 2011 by arpymo
The bus driver should be thankful that it wasn't a guy smacking him in his eye with his banana.
11:09 November 20, 2011 by byke
So the women plans to a peel the bananna ruling?
12:07 November 20, 2011 by Rick Methven
"I've been dizzy since March, and my hands shake. Since my muscles are weak I drop things easily. I was holding the banana whilst standing there gesturing, and suddenly it flew away. But it hit the interior of the bus,"

She is dizzy and her hands shake, yet she thinks she is OK to teach her daughter to drive?

She should be prosecuted for be a danger on the road
14:43 November 20, 2011 by cen1
@darky

"Only a citizen", hahaha. What more do you have? Super-citizens? Extra-citizens? Citizens with cream on top? Knob
19:56 November 20, 2011 by kristenart
I hear that an American Attorney is representing the "Banana", stating that "it" was not a willing accomplice to the crime, and filing for injury damages.
05:28 November 21, 2011 by Bushyblondehead
Been funny if the buss driver was a monkey, like to see the look on her face then!
18:08 November 21, 2011 by DAVID T
Most of those bus drivers are a-holes - they make up the rules as they go along
19:15 November 21, 2011 by nolikegohome
ban her from buying bananas she has insulted the kingdom of bananas.
11:51 November 22, 2011 by aravindnagastya
lucky for the bus driver ... she wasn't eating hotdog
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