Belgium: Driver of car that crashed into a crowd is accused of negligent homicide
Stable in her position that it was an accident and not a premeditated action by the judge. The driver of the car is in prison.
Charges of negligent homicide have been filed and the driver of the car that crashed into a crowd gathered for a carnival in Belgium on Sunday has been jailed, the defendant's lawyer told a Belgian radio station.
The judge maintained the position that it was an accident and that it was not a premeditated action, as hinted at the start of an investigation into "murders" immediately after the incident.
Six people were killed, 10 were seriously injured and about 20 were slightly injured when a BMW car crashed on Sunday, just before 05:00 local time (06:00 Greek time), on a crowd gathered in a Louvre carnival. , in southern Belgium.
The driver, who is only identified as Paolo F., a speed lover who had already had his driver's license revoked once, explained to the judge that he did not realize at all that he would fall into the crowd, said Frank Dispoli's lawyer. on the RTBF radio station. He and his co-driver were returning from a nightclub.
"In a few seconds, he faced a tragedy (...) the windshield had broken to pieces, he was covered in blood as he had hit his head on the windshield, he could not see anything, he could hear screams, he could hear knocks on his car, he could not even imagine "he was at a carnival at the time," his lawyer told RTBF.
Paolo F. was jailed after being charged with negligent homicide and unintentionally inflicting injuries, while his co-driver, his cousin Nino, also about 30 years old, was charged with failing to provide assistance to people in danger, before being released on bail. surveillance.
According to the prosecution, Paolo F. was "slightly drunk". "There is information (according to which) that these are people who love cars and speed very much," Mons Ignacio de la Serna, attorney general, said on Monday. "What also amazes me is the speed and the fact that there was no braking," he said.
This tragedy caused great emotion in Belgium, where carnival parades are often held during Lent. This tradition had just begun to recover after its cessation in recent years due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
