Four Lives, Four Years: Moscow Bus Driver Sentenced Over Deadly Crash

A 12-year-old girl was among the four people killed when the bus plunged into an underground walkway.

A Moscow bus driver whose vehicle plowed onto the stairway of an underground passage, killing four pedestrians, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

In a December 19 ruling, the Dorogomilovo District Court convicted Viktor Tikhonov, 58, of violating traffic rules in connection with the December 2017 accident.

Tikhonov was at the wheel of a city bus that careered off a main avenue in western Moscow and plunged into a crowded underground walkway.

A 12-year-old girl was among the four people killed, and several other pedestrians were injured.

Tikhonov's lawyer, Ravil Saberov, said that his client was innocent, contending that the accident was caused by a mechanical fault.

Judge Galina Talanina ruled that Tikhonov will not have a right to drive vehicles for three years after serving his prison term.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS