Suspended sentence after fatal speeding accident on German A5 highway
Published: Thursday, Nov 21st 2024, 17:30
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Following a fatal accident on the A5 highway (Basel-Freiburg), a sports car driver in Germany has been given a suspended prison sentence of two years for involuntary manslaughter. He must also pay a fine and lose his driver's license.
The German, who lives in Basel, tearfully admitted to the Lörrach district court that he had driven his Porsche into the car of the later victim in August last year while drunk and clearly too fast.
Between Weil am Rhein and Efringen-Kirchen, the 31-year-old man crashed into the rear of the small car in the left-hand lane at 240 kilometers per hour without braking when it had swerved to overtake a van. The 59-year-old driver died immediately, the Porsche driver and his co-driver were injured. The district judge described the 31-year-old's speeding as an "act whose meaning can only be questioned".
Public prosecutor's office reserves the right to appeal
However, the conditions for a so-called solo race, which is punishable by a higher custodial sentence, were not met. Among other things, this case was not about reaching a certain speed and knowingly accepting all risks.
Rather, a young man had committed a stupid act and failed to calculate the consequences when he "proudly drove his Porsche" and accelerated on a kind of joyride - with tragic consequences.
With the verdict, the chamber followed the defense's request. The public prosecutor's office had requested two years and ten months in prison and reserves the right to appeal against the decision.
"I am to blame for the accident," the German, who has no criminal record, admitted in a statement. "That was the most serious mistake of my life, a mistake that I can never forgive myself for." His relatives have accepted his apology.
In Germany, a local court may impose fines and custodial sentences - but only up to a custodial sentence of four years.
No speed limit at the location
The speed limit on the A5 between Basel and Freiburg is usually 120 km/h. However, there is no speed limit between the Weil am Rhein interchange and the Efringen-Kirchen junction, where the accident occurred.
Time and again, speeders from Switzerland are targeted
Drivers from Switzerland and other countries who drive too fast are often noticed in the area of the Freiburg police headquarters, especially on the A5 and A98 highways. In recent years, the police have also increasingly registered high-powered cars on popular motorcycle routes in the southern Black Forest, including cars with Swiss license plates. Additional police checks are therefore carried out from spring to fall.
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