Two Months Conditional for Speeder After Accident in Salzburg
At the Salzburg Regional Court on Monday, an 18-year-old driver was sentenced to two months of suspended imprisonment (not legally binding) for grossly negligent bodily harm. The Serbian had lost control of his car at high speed in the city of Salzburg at the end of 2023, causing a traffic accident with three injuries. The judge did not find it proven that he had been involved in an illegal street race before the crash.
Collision with Audi
The young man was an apprentice mechanic at the time and had only had his driver's license for a few months. On December 15, 2023, he accelerated his powerful Mercedes significantly at around 9:30 PM on Neutorstraße heading into the city and overtook a trolleybus on the right side at 60 to 65 km/h. Shortly thereafter, he skidded while changing lanes on the wet road and crashed almost head-on into an Audi that was about to turn. The three occupants of the Audi were slightly injured. However, they suffered from bruises and the psychological effects of the accident for weeks.
The prosecution was convinced that the 18-year-old had been racing with a BMW before the accident. A surveillance camera inside the trolleybus shows the two cars overtaking the bus. One driver on the left, the accused with his car a few seconds later on the right. "It looked like a street race," the bus driver told the police. "From a realistic perspective, you were racing," the prosecutor also said to the accused.
"No Race"
"It was not a race," said his defense attorney, however, describing it as a "normal traffic accident." The young Serb told the court that he was not familiar with the local conditions. Before the incident, he had not driven much in the city with the car. The second car did not influence him. It also did not bother him that he was overtaken by the BMW after stopping at a traffic light. "I didn't want to be faster than him," he told the judge.
Whether he often liked to drive fast, she asked him. No, said the defendant. Why did he then accelerate? The 18-year-old had no explanation for that. And that one should not overtake on the right? He had indeed learned that in driving school, he admitted sheepishly.
Verdict for 20-Year-Old
Also sitting on the defendant's bench on Monday was the driver of the second car, a 20-year-old Austrian. He was accused of making a false statement to the police, which carries a significantly higher penalty than negligent bodily harm. In fact, the BMW driver was sentenced today to five months of suspended imprisonment, also not legally binding. He admitted that he had said it was not him but his brother who was driving at the time. "I lied because I was afraid my mother would take my driver's license if a letter with a fine came home."
Both drivers - who had no previous convictions - assured today that they did not know each other and that they had not arranged a race or a joint drive through the city. However, at least one passenger in the Serbian's car is likely to have known a passenger in the other car. Thus, the question lingered whether this might have prompted the defendants to speed.
Incidentally, the Serbian's driver's license was not taken away after the accident, and he has not had to pay any administrative fines so far. Although he did not complete his apprenticeship, he now works as a driver for a freight company.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.