Trial in Innsbruck

Woman crushed with car

At this petrol station in Telfs in Tyrol, a 32-year-old car driver raced towards two people. A female employee was brutally hit.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The young life of a 25-year-old woman was senselessly destroyed during a rampage at a petrol station in Telfs (Tyrolean district of Innsbruck-Land). The driver (32) was charged with two counts of attempted murder. On Wednesday, he had to answer to the regional court.

She only wanted to settle an argument and almost lost her young life. Daniela L. (25) was crushed by a car at a Shell petrol station in Telfs in mid-April - as reported several times.

I first had to learn to speak again.

Das Opfer beim Prozess

Born in Salzburg, she hit her head on the asphalt and was critically injured. After waking up from a coma 30 days later, she was given an artificial skullcap and has been bravely fighting her way back to life ever since. "I first had to learn to speak again," said the young woman, who struggled into the jury courtroom at Innsbruck Regional Court, visibly handicapped.

"Debate" with ex's new boyfriend ended fatally
At the wheel of the VW Passat was a Turkish man (32) with a criminal record, who had previously popped an ecstasy tablet and taken around a gram of cocaine through his nose. "I found out that evening that my daughter's mother had a new boyfriend," confessed the defendant.

The defendant pleaded "partially guilty" in court(Bild: Samuel Thurner)

Without further ado, the two men met for a "discussion" at the petrol station where Daniela L. worked. "It was primarily about my daughter. I didn't want her hanging around the petrol station late at night," emphasized the 32-year-old. But the argument escalated and there was a wild scuffle.

"Just wanted to scare them both"
The petrol station employee, who is also the best friend of the Turk's ex, wanted to separate the two brawlers. But the man, described by many as insanely jealous, obviously didn't want to calm down. He got into his car and drove towards the rival and Daniela - deliberately, as the public prosecutor's office believes. While the man was able to save himself with a courageous jump to the side, the young woman was hit by the car and brutally thrown to the ground. "I just wanted to scare them," the accused justified himself.

Particularly explosive: the accused is said to have threatened to kill the petrol station employee several times. He apparently blamed her for the fact that his ex had split up with him.

Tears in the courtroom
In the end, the jurors were not entirely unanimous. But for six of the eight lay judges, it was two counts of attempted murder. After the verdict of 17 years in prison, which was not yet final, some family members wept bitter tears, and the 32-year-old's mother even broke down in the courtroom.