Two men will stand trial over an accident in Szymbark (Pomerania) in which a 19-year-old woman died. Two years ago, the then 21-year-old accused drove into a group of five people returning from a disco and fled. He now faces 12 years in prison. A passenger in the car will also be held accountable for failing to provide assistance.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Kartuzy has completed the proceedings in the case of a road accident that occurred April 18, 2022 in Szymbark300 meters from the “Kotwica” disco. Initially, the services reported that a car hit a group of six people, but it turned out that five were hit.
– A group of five young people walking on the right side of the road, who left a disco at around 4:00, were hit by a VW Golf going in the same direction. The vehicle was driven by a 21-year-old man who drove away from the scene of the accident without stopping. As a result of the injuries sustained at the scene, a 19-year-old died, and two people suffered bodily injuries lasting more than 7 days – said Grażyna Wawryniuk from the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk.
According to investigators, there was also a passenger in the car, then 17 years old. Both he and the driver had also been to the disco before the incident.
SzymbarkKSRG OSP Szymbark/Facebook
Prosecutor's Office: Driver thought he hit an animal, passenger had his eyes closed
The 24-year-old who was driving the car at the time will be held accountable for “intentionally violating safety rules and road traffic regulations by failing to exercise due care, as a result of which he hit pedestrians walking on the right side, as a result of which one person died and two sustained bodily injuries, and then without stopping and providing help, he fled the scene of the accident.”
– The accused admitted to committing the crime charged against him, explaining, however, that initially he thought he had hit an animal – Wawryniuk said.
The man now faces a prison sentence of not less than 2 to up to 12 years.
The driver who allegedly hit 6 people was brought to the prosecutor's officeTVN24
– The indictment also covered the passenger, whom the prosecutor accused of committing a crime under Article 162 § 1 of the Penal Code, i.e. failing to provide assistance to injured parties who were in a situation threatening them with an immediate danger of losing their life or suffering serious damage to their health, when they could have provided it without endangering themselves – added prosecutor Wawryniuk.
The accused pleaded not guilty. He claimed that during the incident his eyes were closed and he was tired. – He heard a bang and then saw the window shatter. The driver told him that he hit a deer and did not want to stop – the prosecutor said about the passenger's explanation. He faces up to 3 years in prison.
The accused will appear before the District Court in Kartuzy.
Passenger of car that hit six pedestrians taken to prosecutor's officeTVN24
The collision occurred near the town of Szymbark.Google Maps
Main image source: KSRG OSP Szymbark/Facebook