Bedrije Kurtaj is still trying to understand how her 22-year-old daughter died. Forensic documents and the stark difference between her injuries and the driver’s have left questions about what happened unanswered.
Kosovare Kurtaj died in 2010 in an incident classified as a traffic accident. Even after 16 years, her mother, Bedrija, wants the circumstances of her death fully clarified.
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She questions how the incident happened and says the justice authorities did not investigate thoroughly enough to uncover the truth.
According to Bedrije Kurtaj, her first suspicions arose when she was not allowed to see her daughter’s body. Several phone calls she received after her daughter’s death added to her concerns.
She says she has long since lost contact with people who may know something about the case, including the main witness and her daughter’s former partner, with whom she had lived.
The family considers the lack of a thorough investigation one of the central issues and wants all the circumstances that led to the 22-year-old’s death clarified.
Documents obtained by Kiks Kosova contain information from forensic reports prepared after the incident.
The autopsy report, dated December 6, 2010, two days after her death, states that Kosovare Kurtaj was not wearing clothes when she died.
Autopsy photographs and records document numerous injuries to her body, from scratches on her legs to injuries to her ear. The forensic pathologist nevertheless concluded that they had been caused by a traffic accident.
Five years after her burial, her body was exhumed at the family’s request for a second autopsy to shed light on the cause of death.
The second report also drew on records from the emergency department of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK). According to those records, Kosovare scored 3 on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), a rating indicating a lack of response.
The report on the driver described a different condition: he had bruises on his chest, lower back and waist area, as well as a small wound on his right ear.
The driver scored 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, indicating that he was fully conscious during the examination.
The difference between the passenger’s condition and the driver’s has raised further questions about the circumstances of the incident, particularly how Kosovare Kurtaj ended up outside the vehicle.
In a joint opinion, five forensic pathologists concluded that her injuries were caused when a wheel of the vehicle passed over the victim’s head.
Lawyer Ramë Dreshaj, who has worked on Kosovare Kurtaj’s case, says he privately consulted several foreign experts. According to him, after reviewing the evidence, they concluded that the incident was not an ordinary traffic accident.
Dreshaj also claims to have a statement from a witness to the incident who was granted asylum in France because, by the witness’s own account, he could not live in Kosovo after what had happened.
The Kurtaj family continues to seek answers about their daughter’s death, even after 16 years. The circumstances of the incident and the claims that the investigations were not fully carried out still await clarification from the responsible authorities.
