– I have been annoyed and cursed. We were, in a way, friends with them. It is a situation that is not pleasant for any of us, says Hammer. On the night of 2 April 2022, Bendik Hammer and his friends’ Russian celebration had just started. On the way home to Eigersund, however, something happened that could have taken the lives of several young people. The Russian bus “Fjellstua 2022” caught fire. All the young people luckily got out of the bus unscathed, but they could do nothing but watch as it burned to the ground. There was a light and sound system in the bus, which was rented by the company DinBuss AS. A facility the Russian group had not been allowed to insure. Insurance companies will not insure buses or equipment for the Russians. Bendik Hammer must face the bus company DinBuss AS in a court case after the bus burned down. Photo: Private Had to pay for the bus They had already resold the Russebussen to the next generation. This money they had to pay back, as there was no bus to hand over. As a result, they were still left with debt on the bus. However, a meeting with DinBuss soon after the fire gave the boy gang peace of mind. – They were very clear that there would be no millions in debt for us, Hammer recalls. But a few weeks later, Hammer received a summons in the mail. DinBuss, which subleased this light and sound system for a Dutch operator, demanded NOK 1.5 million in compensation. But did it really cost that much? Hammer made a counterclaim, in which he demanded compensation from DinBuss AS. He also claimed to be acquitted of the claim from DinBuss. Hammer believes that the fire was caused by DinBuss’ negligence in connection with the assembly and installation of the system. In a ruling, the court has demanded that DinBuss must present all agreements, correspondence and invoices from Aggregatparken AS and Rent-All BV. It is these companies that in turn supply the sound system to Din Buss. For DinBuss, two invoices have been submitted, as well as a list with a value overview. These invoices bear witness to claims of a completely different order of magnitude than what the company has previously stated to the media and taken as a starting point in the case. Bendik Hammer has a large Russian group behind him when he meets the bus company in court. Photo: Privat The claim was suddenly reduced by NOK 400,000. In fact, the claim against Hammer was reduced by almost NOK 400,000 after DinBuss was asked to document its own loss. – That is what is so sick. They just assumed a price in the beginning. Then they missed NOK 400,000. It’s not a small mistake, exactly. And not small change for a 19-year-old, he says. Hammer has also requested that an expert be appointed, as the parties strongly disagree about the cause of the fire and other technical matters. DinBuss has denied this. Sør-Rogaland district court has nevertheless upheld Hammer in the case. A representative from the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness (DSB) steps in as an expert. The boys in the back Officially, only he is being sued by DinBuss AS. But he has all the boys on the Russian bus with him in the back. That’s good. – So if we lose the court case, we splice it, he says. They still don’t know the cause of the fire, and the police dropped the case a month after it happened. It annoys Hammer a little that they never got an answer to what happened. He is therefore happy that the court agreed that an expert should be appointed, who might be able to say something about where the fire started. However, Hammer is reasonably confident in his case. – We have both photos and video of it starting at the back of the bus, where both the unit and large parts of DinBuss’ technical installation were, he says. Hammer’s lawyer, Sjur Løbø Solhaug, does not want to advance the case in the media. – Of course, I have a number of views both on the matter and the fact that DinBuss as a trader chooses to sue a 19-year-old consumer. What I have to say about this will be said in court between 12 and 14 June, he says to news. – Cynical industry In the time after the fire, he is happy that he received good support from friends and parents. The parents of the boys’ gang mostly took control of the things that had to be done during the Russian era, so that the boys could have as good a time as possible. – The Russian era was insanely good, after all. Now he is looking forward to getting the case up in the legal system. – It is an important issue, which is important to bring out. We also fight for future Russians, who are exposed to that business. It needs a clean up. It is very cynical, he says. The trial starts in Sør-Rogaland District Court on 12 June. Three days have been set aside. Sverre Tostensen of DinBuss dropped the demand unsolicited, writing in an SMS to news that out of respect for the court they will avoid preliminary proceedings as far as possible. – Hammer is being sued, as he was the lessee for the equipment that caught fire during the lease period. We have previously opened court mediation in the hope of finding a solution together, but this was refused by the other party. He explains that the reason why the claim was lowered by 400,000 was that the landlord first presented a claim, which later turned out to be somewhat lower. – Our demand is similar to what our landlords demand from us. Our demand was adjusted down unsolicited, writes Tostensen.
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Bendik Hammer (19) received a claim for 1.5 million in the mail after the Russe bus caught fire – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
