Elderly Woman in Vienna Overlooked While Parking: 19-Year-Old Convicted
The defendant was delivering a package to the settlement on the evening of December 14. After delivery, he put the car in reverse and overlooked the 82-year-old woman. She later died in the hospital as a result of the collision.
Already during a procedure at the Floridsdorf District Court, a forensic expert determined that the woman's death was related to the accident. Due to a previous jurisdiction ruling, however, the case ended up before a single judge at the regional court. Although the senior citizen had suffered from pre-existing conditions, the accident injuries - including fractures, a skull contusion, and soft tissue contusions - significantly contributed to the woman's death a few weeks later due to organ failure, the judge also stated.
Defendant in Vienna: "I Was Afraid of Being Fired"
The then 18-year-old was working as a package delivery driver and had to deliver a package to an address in the settlement. Because a barrier was open, he overlooked a sign and ultimately felt pressured ("I was afraid of being fired if I didn't deliver the package"), he drove in the dark and rain with a colleague in the passenger seat through a narrow residential street directly to the front door of his destination. "I didn't think about whether I was allowed to drive here," the Romanian explained on Monday with the help of an interpreter.
After the delivery, there was an argument with his colleague. "It was dark and you couldn't see anything in the side mirrors because of the rain. I wanted him to stand outside for me and watch if I could reverse," the defendant recalled the fateful evening. "But he refused." The courier finally gave in to his colleague's refusals and drove "at maybe five km/h" backwards through the alley, which can only be entered with permission.
19-Year-Old in Vienna Admitted Guilt
He hit the older lady with the car. "I immediately got a first aid kit and a blanket and called the police," he explained. He didn't see her, she was standing in the middle of the street, as it turned out later.
Defence lawyer Marius Hortolomei argued, among other things, that his client had taken full responsibility for the woman's death and had a clean record. His client deeply regretted everything and has since been "psychologically burdened". He therefore hoped for a lenient sentence, said Hortolomei. The defendant had already admitted comprehensive guilt before the district court, at least having acted negligently. He reaffirmed this on Monday. "What happened should not have happened," he said, "I'm very sorry about the accident." "When it's dark and wet, you have to get guided or otherwise reassured," the prosecutor countered.
The judge followed the arguments of the prosecution on Monday and found the young man guilty of grossly negligent homicide. He considered the orderly lifestyle and the confession of the former package courier as mitigating. The man was therefore sentenced to a penalty of eight months probation - with a probation period of three years. Since both the man's defence and the prosecution waived an appeal, the verdict is already final.
(APA/Red)
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