Two fatalities

Baby without a father: the serious consequences of an accident

The collision caused massive damage to both vehicles.(Bild: FF Radstadt)

A head-on collision between two small trucks in mid-May 2024 claimed two lives. The driver (28) who caused the accident has now apologized in court. The Romanian was given a suspended sentence for the "lapse in attention" that caused the accident. 

The cute little boy, just a few months old and with a pacifier in his mouth, is sitting in the baby carriage. Next to him are a number of grieving relatives who gathered in courtroom 204 of the Salzburg Provincial Court on Wednesday. A tragic traffic accident on May 11, 2024 took the life of their loved one: an Upper Austrian (29). A 19-year-old worker from Romania also succumbed to his injuries that morning on the B320 near Radstadt. Both fatalities were passengers in small trucks that had collided head-on. One of the drivers, a Romanian (28), has to explain himself to the judge for involuntary manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm: "I'm very sorry" - those are his first words. He didn't want to harm anyone, he says audibly contrite. However, he can barely remember the accident: "I only saw a white vehicle in front of me and I tried to avoid it. That's when I woke up."

No reaction for three seconds
He himself - just like the second driver - suffered serious injuries and is struggling with the consequences of the knee operations. Despite gaps in his memory, the accused took the blame and confessed. According to an expert opinion, the 28-year-old was traveling at 92 km/h in the 80 km/h range when he entered the oncoming lane on a long bend. The expert found that he did not react as a driver for three and a half seconds. Cell phone? Microsleep? The victim's lawyer wanted to know why because of the "catastrophic consequences for the relatives". But the defendant was unable to explain.

Due to the serious lapse in attention, the judge imposed a suspended six-month sentence - a quarter of the maximum possible sentence.