Driver charged after fatal wheel loader accident
Around six months after the wheel loader accident that left two people dead, the public prosecutor's office has brought charges against the driver of the vehicle. The man, who was 44 years old at the time of the accident, is accused of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and eleven counts of involuntary bodily harm, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office in Lüneburg announced on Tuesday.
The accident occurred on June 24 in Toppenstedt, south of Hamburg, during a father-child camp. The driver had driven several people around in a transport box on the front fork of his wheel loader. The lattice box came loose on a dirt track. The occupants fell from a height of three meters.
A 39-year-old man and a five-year-old died in the accident. It was previously reported that ten other children were injured. The indictment now mentions eleven cases of negligent bodily harm. It was not initially clear how the difference came about.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the steel mesh box used was neither approved nor suitable for transporting people. In addition, the accused is said to have failed to secure the box properly. In the course of the investigation, an expert opinion also indicated that a technical defect was not a possible cause of the accident.
The charges were brought before the regional court in Lüneburg - in the interest of protecting the children involved, all of whom are potential witnesses, as the spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office said. By filing the charges directly with the regional court instead of the district court, the aim was to avoid the possibility of multiple hearings of the children in the event of an appeal.
During their leisure time, the unfortunate accident involving the wheel loader resulted in emergencies. The improper use and insufficient security of the transport box could potentially lead to similar accidents in the future during such leisure activities.
Source: www.dpa.com
