Trial in Vienna

Run over: Dispute in the tuning scene escalated

It was only thanks to the friend that the scene ended lightly.(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Because a 19-year-old Viennese at the time had apparently refused an invitation to take part in an illegal race in Donaustadt, he was run over by a German. The accused had previously hit the boy with a baseball bat. Two years after the incident, a trial was finally held in Landl. With an exciting outcome.  

A petrol station in Stadlau in Vienna's Donaustadt district was a popular meeting place for the tuning scene. On the evening of March 4, 2022, dozens of car enthusiasts met there with their pimped-up horsepower sleds. Among them was the accused 31-year-old German with his BMW 3 Series.

The Berliner drove to the parking lot that evening with his two nephews, whom he had visited in Vienna. "There was a discussion, it got out of hand, then I freaked out," the accused summarized. He hadn't even noticed that he had rammed a 19-year-old head-on as he drove off.

He offered me 10,000 euros for an illegal race on the highway. When I didn't agree, he first hit me with a baseball bat, then got into the car and sped off.

Der damals 19-Jährige wurde angefahren.

Accused hit victim with baseball bat beforehand
"He deliberately ran me over," replied the victim, who had been called as a witness. "He had previously offered me 10,000 euros for an illegal race on the highway. When I didn't agree, he first hit me with a baseball bat, then he got into the car and sped off," recalls the 21-year-old, who is represented by Rafaela Goj from the law firm Sascha Flatz.

A video showing the harrowing incident went viral on the internet and had several million views. It was only thanks to a friend who held the boy as he was thrown over the windshield that his head did not hit the ground.

Rafaela Goj from the law firm Sascha Flatz represents the victim.(Bild: Anja Richter)

Judge sees more serious crime
In any case, the judge sees more in Landl than the charged attempted grievous bodily harm. "This is normally called attempted murder," he says and ruled that he had no jurisdiction. Due to the higher threat of punishment, he was no longer competent as a single judge, but a panel of lay judges or even a jury court.