Dramatic end to a party

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The accident happened at the popular Copacabana swimming complex south of Graz.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

In the summer of 2023, a well-known lawyer fell from his friends' terrace at a swimming lake near Graz while drunk. The accident could have been prevented if the couple had taken care of proper fall protection. A trial for gross negligence manslaughter will be held at the end of October.

Dramatic scenes unfolded in the summer of 2023 at the popular Styrian swimming lake Copacabana (municipality of Kalsdorf): A well-known lawyer from Graz was visiting friends - a well-known couple (50, 52) who rented a house on the lake in question. They spent a few pleasant hours together and it is said that a lot of alcohol was consumed.

Then the lawyer decided to make his way home. He is said not to have taken the couple's admonitions not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle due to his heavy drinking very seriously. But before that could happen, something terrible happened!

Rotten construction fence as fall protection
He staggered - presumably due to his intoxicated state - against a temporary construction fence that was supposed to act as fall protection for the cantilevered balcony platform. However, the fence could not withstand his weight. It toppled and broke, causing the lawyer to fall three meters onto a metal bathing staircase leading into the lake. He did not survive the broken neck, brain swelling and fractured skull base.

Grossly negligent homicide?
The celebrity couple from Graz must now answer for his death before the criminal court in Graz. "The two are accused of grossly negligent homicide", confirms Hansjörg Bacher, spokesman for the Graz public prosecutor's office. This is because they had a duty to take the necessary measures to prevent the risk of falling. The couple did not confess. Court spokeswoman Barbara Schwarz confirms the charges.