Truck driver in court – knife attack in parking lot: ‘memory weak’

Three months non-stop in the driver’s cab, one month at home – then this ‘wheel’ starts again. It is not surprising that this life leaves its mark on some truck drivers. For example, due to excessive alcohol consumption during rest periods.

But that should not be an excuse for the behavior of a Ukrainian (38) when he encountered two colleagues in the parking lot in Angath. “We drank a bottle of vodka and other things, my memory is weak,” said the man charged with grievous bodily harm at the Innsbruck Regional Court.

Attack with kitchen knife filmed
One of the men then captured on cellphone video the suspect attacking a colleague with a kitchen knife. He had traveled 900 kilometers to the trial as a witness and pointed to his right arm: “Four tendons were severed and it is barely possible to work anymore,” he said.

The suspect was not arrested until long after the crime
The incident took place in December 2021, but it was not until August that the 38-year-old was arrested as the main aggressor and taken into custody. The judge ultimately imposed fifteen months in prison, ten months of which were unconditional. The Ukrainian was considered blameless; Ukrainian authorities were unable to provide criminal record information in time for a robbery in his home country fifteen years ago.

The knife attacker must pay the victim 1,500 euros in compensation. After a brief consultation with the lawyer, he accepted this.