Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The local community gathered at Genk to remember the late Ilayda, one year after her fatal bus accident at the station on October 24 last year. Tomorrow, Ilayda would have turned 16.
A memorial service took place in Genk on October 24 for Ilayda following her death after a bus collision last year at the station. Around 100 individuals came together to remember her while her family and friends attended the ceremonies. The next day would have been a significant birthday celebration at sixteen, but she passed before getting there. Koen Vanmechelen, a renowned artist, gave the speech at Ilayda’s memorial event based on her parents’ request.
People came to the memorial with pink balloons during a ceremony for Ilayda to celebrate her imagined “Sweet 16” birthday. Vanmechelen insisted that our society needs fundamental change to eliminate future crashes, and he spoke out against sharing videos about motor vehicle accidents on social platforms.
People remembered her as a teen who made others laugh and wanted to support them. Ilayda’s hairdressing school friend told others about their common experiences because she misses her classmates so much.
“We as a society must try to prevent such dramatic accidents from happening,”
he said.
He also mentioned the videos of the accident that had been shared on social media.
“We as a society must do something about this too.”
What were the circumstance of Ilayda’s accident and its aftermath?
On October 24 2023, Ilayda died when a bus hit her at Genk railway station in Belgium. The accident happened during the busiest part of the day, according to the police, and shows there are dangerous pedestrian safety problems at busy transportation areas. The initial study about visibility and driving response time led authorities to continue their official investigation.
People demanded better road development around public transportation stations after this event happened. The Federal Roads Office of Belgium tracks pedestrian data and shows that 17 underage pedestrians died in 2023 road crashes, which was 12% more than the year before.
Social media releases of the fatal accident video raised both ethical concerns and increased public awareness of the tragic event.
The Belgian government restates the rules against distributing private images while revoking penalties according to national data protection laws. Advocacy organisations want police to strictly enforce speed limit rules for school zones and train stations. Local residents gathered one day before her 16th birthday for the memorial because she remained a prominent figure in their hearts as a young student planning her hairdressing career.
