Fatal accident

Even a drunk driver is not automatically at fault

Friends and relatives set up candles at the scene of the accident in Tarsdorf(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

A 15-year-old moped rider died in Tarsdorf after colliding with the car of a drunk driver. The driver had a blood alcohol level of 1.4. It is now being investigated who is responsible.

A tragic traffic accident occurred on Sunday night in the Innviertel region: As reported, a 15-year-old local boy on his moped collided with a car in Tarsdorf. Although two patrol officers witnessed the accident and immediately resuscitated the boy, he succumbed to his serious injuries in hospital that same night. The driver had been under the influence of alcohol: The 34-year-old had around 1.4 per mille. His driver's license was confiscated on the spot.

Still under investigation
However, whether he was also responsible for the accident is still under investigation: "We have to see whether the driver was not only under the influence of alcohol, but also made a mistake, i.e. whether he was driving on his side of the road or rather in the middle," explains Alois Ebner from the public prosecutor's office in Ried im Innkreis. "The fact that he was under the influence of alcohol is not enough for him to be guilty, he must be proven to have breached his duty of care."
Up to three years in prison possible
If the investigators succeed in doing so, the 34-year-old would have to answer for gross negligence manslaughter - with a possible sentence of up to three years in prison. According to initial information, the 15-year-old is said to have narrowly missed the oncoming police car before crashing seconds later.

Moped accidents are common
Moped accidents are frequent and often end fatally: according to the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ), there were no fatal moped crashes in Upper Austria in 2023, but 701 people were injured and five killed in the previous year. In 2021, moped accidents caused 767 injuries and four deaths. "The risk of moped accidents is high. A good public transport service could prevent many serious accidents involving young people," says VCÖ spokesperson Christian Gratzer.