Olimpia Bratu, the director of the Gorj County Library, ended her days right in her office, crushed by a lawsuit filed by the family of a child who had been injured in the Central Park by a branch, although the criminal investigation had ended with a settlement.
Olimpia Bratu ended her days in her office
On February 28, at around 18.00, Olimpia Bratu was found dead in her office in the institution by the security guard. He had hanged himself with the scarf around his neck from a metal beam. The security guard wanted to cut off her scarf, but found that she was cold and immediately called 911. Medical examiners determined that death was caused by mechanical asphyxiation.
The civil case was pending
“The file with the branch is too much for me. That’s my sentence. Forgiveness!”, Otilia Bratu wrote in the farewell note.
On June 7, 2022, a child was hit by a branch that fell from a tree, in the Central Park of Târgu Jiu. The boy, accompanied by his grandmother, arrived at the park following an action organized by the “Christian Tell” Library. The child arrived at the hospital, and the doctors put a splint on him. The police then opened a criminal case for culpable bodily injury.
In addition to the criminal investigation, the child’s parents also opened a civil lawsuit in which they sued the Library, the City Hall and the Public Building Society, requesting damages for what happened to the boy.
The criminal investigation had ended with the closure of the case, but, on the civil side, the judges decided on February 27, the day before the library director committed suicide, to take the case into judgment on March 6.
During the mandate of Olimpia Bratu, the headquarters of the County Library, which is a historical monument, was modernized and expanded. Also, the headquarters of the art department, which was the house of the painter Iosif Keber, also a historical monument, was restored.
Olimpia Bratu was also director of the Gorj County Culture Directorate.
