“I will never see my child again and they put him in jail for 8 months? If they killed a dog he would not be sentenced to only 8 months…”
The 47-year-old truck driver was adjudged guilty of negligent homicide by the Three-member Court of Misdemeanors of Larissa, for the fatal injury of a 29-year-old cyclist on Volou Street 5 years ago.
The traffic accident occurred at 9:25 in the morning of March 7, 2018 at the junction of the old Larissa-Thessaloniki highway with Volos Street in the district of Agios Georgios, when the truck driven by the 47-year-old in his attempt to turn right towards Thessaloniki carried away 29-year-old Polina Sp. Tsapakidou, who died instantly, while trying to cross the old national road on her bicycle, heading towards the center of Larissa.
“The points of impact reveal the form, type and degree of the defendant’s negligence,” the Prosecutor of the seat emphasized, among other things, in his speech, suggesting the guilt of the 47-year-old, who was neither present at yesterday’s trial, nor was he represented, as mentions it eleftheria.gr. The 29-year-old’s lawyer explained to the Court, conveying as he said the “message” of the 47-year-old’s lawyer, that by declaring his guilt, he “accepts the sentence” of the first court. As in the first instance, as well as yesterday, the Three-member Misdemeanor Appeal Court of Larisa found the truck driver guilty, imposing an 8-month prison sentence with a three-year suspension.
The 57-year-old mother of the 29-year-old, originally from Naoussa, burst into sobs while testifying, considering that the sentence imposed on the accused in the first court was not severe, but small, saying that “I will never see my child again, a 29-year-old child of they put in jail for 8 months? If they killed a dog he would not be sentenced to only 8 months…”.
As noted in the indictment, the 47-year-old driving his truck “and moving on Volos Street, heading from Volos to the old Larisa-Thessaloniki highway, did not drive prudently and with his attention constantly strained, did not exercise control and supervision of his vehicle in such a way that he could at any moment perform the required maneuvers and attempted a sudden change of direction to the right to move in the direction of Thessaloniki.
Without first ascertaining that he can do so without endangering the other road users, who were moving alongside him, taking into account their position, direction and speed, in such a way that he can stop his course in front of any obstacle that can be predicted and which is located in the part of the road visible from him, and thus, he did not notice in time the two-wheeled bicycle without registration number, which was moving on Volos Street, in the direction of Volos, probably straight towards the city center, driven” by the 29-year-old, “as a result of dragging and injuring her, who suffered multiple serious injuries” (s.s. described in detail in the forensic report), resulting in her instant death.
As part of the hearing yesterday, several witnesses testified, including the driver who noticed the accident and informed the 47-year-old in order to stop the truck. “The driver’s behavior is characterized by a lack of attention, he made a wrong turn,” the Prosecutor stressed, suggesting the 47-year-old’s guilt. Proposal adopted by the Three-member Court of Misdemeanors of Larisa, finding the truck driver guilty and imposing an 8-month prison sentence, as in the first instance, with a three-year suspension.
