Process - Fatal accident involving drugs and alcohol - verdict expected
Eight months after a pregnant woman's death in a traffic accident in Hückelhoven, the judgment for a 19-year-old is expected to be pronounced at the Mönchengladbach District Court. The opening statements are scheduled to begin on Thursday (9.15 am), followed by the judges delivering the verdict. The prosecution accuses the driver of negligent manslaughter, hit-and-run, and reckless endangerment, as well as attempted murder in the indictment.
The defendant is alleged to have run over a highly pregnant woman in Hückelhoven in the presence of her life partner on November 5th of the previous year. The 31-year-old woman and her unborn child died shortly thereafter.
According to the indictment, the young driver was drunk at the time of the accident and had also consumed cocaine. Therefore, he failed to notice a red traffic light at the intersection and struck the pedestrian, who was crossing the street, with approximately 70 kilometers per hour. The 31-year-old woman was thrown up to 20 meters through the air by the impact.
The defendant continued driving without stopping to help the accident victim. The prosecution saw the intent to conceal a crime – in this case, drunk driving – as the aggravating circumstance for the attempted murder charge. However, the court has since stated that this intent to conceal could not be proven. It cannot be ruled out that the defendant also continued driving out of fear or panic.
At the beginning of the trial, the 19-year-old defendant asked for forgiveness from the victims' relatives. He cannot remember the accident and regrets it every day in shame.
- The fatal traffic accident in Hu gouverned by the Mönchengladbach District Court involved drugs, as the prosecution alleges that the defendant was under the influence of both alcohol and cocaine at the time.
- The public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia is seeking a conviction for negligent manslaughter, hit-and-run, reckless endangerment, and attempted murder in relation to the traffic accident.
- The woman, who was highly pregnant, died shortly after the traffic accident, and her unborn child also perished in the accident in HuCKelhoven.
- The defendant's refusal to stop after the traffic accident, which resulted in the death of the woman and her unborn child, is also being investigated as a potential crime abetted by drunk driving.
- The defendant's request for forgiveness from the victims' relatives at the beginning of the trial highlights the emotional toll that the traffic accident has taken on him, despite his lack of memory of the event.
- The traffic accident in HuCKelhoven serves as a grim reminder of the potential consequences of reckless driving, alcohol consumption, and drug use while behind the wheel.
