From the court

Christmas party ended in a horror crash

The defendant only partially confessed and wants to pay partial compensation for pain and suffering.(Bild: Chantal Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

Following a traffic accident in Feldkirch in December that left five people seriously injured, the drunk driver involved in the accident had to answer for his actions at the regional court in Feldkirch on Tuesday. A verdict is still pending.

It was the evening of December 12, 2023, when the 22-year-old defendant was driving his car and three other occupants far too fast on the wet road on Ketschelenstraße in Feldkirch. But the young man not only has to answer for his speeding: he is also drunk and under the influence of drugs at the time.

At around 10.40 p.m., a serious accident occurs: on a bend, the speeding driver loses control of his vehicle and crashes head-on into the car of a 41-year-old man who was driving on Nofeler Straße in accordance with the regulations. While the latter escaped with minor injuries in the horror crash, the passengers in the car that caused the accident had to be rescued from the wreckage with numerous broken bones. They were taken to nearby hospitals by the ambulance service.

A breathalyzer test carried out on the 22-year-old speeding driver finally showed 0.53 per mille - and a drug test was also positive. A traffic report also shows that the person responsible for the accident must have been speeding through the Montfort town at a speed of at least 60 km/h. He was therefore exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 kilometers per hour.

In the trial on Tuesday at the regional court in Feldkirch, the defendant only pleaded partially guilty. "It was a mistake that I was driving under the influence," he admits remorsefully. But he was certainly not speeding. When asked by Judge Alexander Wehinger why the 22-year-old had got behind the wheel drunk after the Christmas party, he replied: "I was the soberest of them all."

After this somewhat sobering realization, the judge adjourned the trial to question the three passengers. Prior to this, the man accused of negligent bodily harm had agreed to pay the 41-year-old other party 500 euros in partial compensation for the wrist injury he suffered. To be continued.