In December of the previous year, a pedestrian was fatally injured by a drunk driver on the Lerchenfelder Belt. During the trial he pleaded guilty and received a twelve-month prison sentence for murder by gross negligence.
A 26-year-old man who fatally injured a passerby while driving on the Lerchenfelder Belt on December 27, 2022, was sentenced to twelve months in prison for murder by gross negligence by the Vienna Regional Court. Eight of these are conditional.
The incident occurred when the drunken defendant crashed an unregistered car into the wall of a hostel, fatally injuring a 47-year-old passerby.
“I still tried to counter-steer”
On Monday, the man acknowledged his responsibility in court and explained that he had taken a test drive in a high-powered car while drunk. Despite having little driving experience, he overtook at too high a speed and lost control, leading to the fatal accident.
“I tried to prevent this,” said the suspect. The vehicle ended up fatally on the sidewalk, where it first collided with a light pole and then crashed into the wall of a forecourt, striking a 47-year-old man who happened to be driving there. “There was a loud bang. “I didn’t even notice it at first,” said the suspect. When he saw the injured man, he immediately called emergency services.
0.5 permille of alcohol in the blood
The subsequent alcohol test showed that the driver’s alcohol level was just above the permitted limit of 0.5 per mille. The 47-year-old died from his serious injuries.
The lawyer argued for a lighter sentence for his client, because neither the drunkenness nor the speeding violation were serious and the accident caused psychological stress for the suspect. The judge nevertheless followed the prosecutor’s request and convicted the 26-year-old.
The defendant accepted the verdict, the Public Prosecution Service refused to appeal – the verdict is therefore legally binding.
Source: Krone
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