Germany Suspended sentence after fatal speeding accident on the A5 in Germany

Following a fatal accident on the A5 highway (Basel-Freiburg), a sports car driver in Germany has been sentenced to 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 crashed his Porsche into the car of the subsequent victim in August last year while drunk and speeding.

Between Weil am Rhein and Efringen-Kirchen, the 31-year-old man had crashed into the rear of the small car in the left-hand lane at 240 kilometers per hour without braking when it had pulled out 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 so-called solo racing, which is punishable with 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 an act of stupidity and had not calculated 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 can impose fines and prison sentences - but only up to a prison sentence of four years.

No speed limit at the spot

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.

Speeding drivers from Switzerland repeatedly targeted

Speeding drivers from Switzerland and other countries are frequently 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.

SDA