The dismissal order, released today by Porto Canal and consulted by the Lusa agency, states that, with the death of the driver, considered by the investigation to be responsible for the accident, which also caused the death of two passengers and more than 30 injured, the criminal liability is extinguished. According to the elements collected in the records, the MP concluded "that only António Gomes de Araújo was responsible for the company Roda do Rei, Lda., with no evidence that there was any other de facto manager". The fatal victims of the bus crash, which was traveling without insurance, were the driver and owner (63 years old), another man, 77 years old, and a woman, 52 years old. Around 9:30 am on May 21, 2022, the bus, coming from Guimarães, with pilgrims from three parishes in that municipality in the district of Braga, bound for the Sanctuary of Fátima, skidded off the road in Mealhada, district of Aveiro, crossed the opposite lane and crashed into an electricity pole, causing three deaths and 33 injuries, six of them in serious condition and five in critical condition. Regarding the accident, the investigation points to the driver's responsibility, saying that the skidding was not caused by third parties. "From the analysis of the records and the elements collected, we conclude that the road accident was due to the fact that the driver, who was also a fatal victim of the accident, was driving the vehicle at a speed higher than that which would be allowed and also because when the left tire burst, the driver did not immobilize the vehicle, or at least did not slow down", says the final report of the GNR investigation, which is part of the records. The investigation states that the carcass of the tire that burst was "very old and deteriorated, a circumstance that António Gomes de Araújo was aware of, since he was a partner and manager of the bus owner". The GNR's final report says that the accident occurred "because the driver, when overtaking, was driving at an excessive speed, considering the road, the age and the condition of the tires, which he was aware of (incumbent upon him the duty to ensure good operating and safety conditions)". "That, at the speed at which they were subjected, it will have caused the heating, the bursting and the detachment of the canvas, not having immobilized the vehicle in the space available for that purpose, having crossed the central divider and, skidding the vehicle, crashing into the pole", emphasizes the investigation. The MP concluded that there was no "intervention of third parties in the causal production of the accident", besides the driver, who, according to the investigation, did not adapt the speed at which he was driving the vehicle to the road on which he was traveling. "Having driven moments before the accident at a speed of 122 km/h, to the age of the vehicle and its condition, namely having driven the vehicle with the tires in the condition described, a circumstance of which he was aware, skidded the vehicle he was driving, failing to immobilize the vehicle in the free and visible space in front of him, imposing on him an objective duty of care", emphasizes the MP. Compensation to the families of the fatal victims and payment of hospital expenses are the responsibility of the Automobile Guarantee Fund (FGA). "The Automobile Guarantee Fund is liable for material and/or bodily damages when the responsible party does not benefit from compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance. Under the conditions provided for in the Law, the Automobile Guarantee Fund may also be called upon to compensate injured parties, even if the responsible party is unknown", the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority (ASF) previously explained to Lusa. Read Also: MP opens inquiry into the death of a man during a balloon ride in Alqueva (Portuguese version)