The Turk living in the Innviertel is said to have steered his high-horsepower car into oncoming traffic on the B156 in Flachgau in March 2019 with the intention of committing suicide. The two-ton car collided with two oncoming cars without braking, some of the occupants were seriously injured. The judgment is not final.
The driver of the first car had tried in vain to dodge. The car overturned after the collision and landed on its roof. The second car was also hit and ended up in a ditch. The three occupants in the two vehicles suffered bruises, abrasions and hematomas. A woman also suffered a ruptured spleen and broken ribs. The defendant himself was only slightly injured. He pleaded guilty to assault.
consumed alcohol and drugs
As it turned out later, the Salzburg-born Turk had 1.32 per thousand alcohol in his blood and was under the influence of cocaine. At the same time, immediately before the accident, he phoned his parents without a hands-free system – and argued with his father because he had not done a job in his parents’ business. During the conversation, the 29-year-old is said to have said that he was sorry. He will drive into the oncoming lane if a car comes – and kill himself.
The public prosecutor’s office relies on the statements of the accused’s ex-partner, who apparently overheard the conversation. Although the woman does not speak Turkish herself, she found out about the content of the phone call from her mother. “He cried, and said, look what I’m doing to you, I keep disappointing you, it makes no sense anymore,” said the ex-girlfriend. She testified today in the trial as a witness and heavily incriminated the accused.
Accused apologized for “stupid idea”
“He thought it was possible and accepted that other people die,” prosecutor Roland Finster told the jury on the first day of the hearing on July 13. Defense attorney Kurt Jelinek, on the other hand, demanded a guilty verdict for grossly negligent serious bodily harm. “He caused the accident drunk and on drugs and he crossed the street out of inattention,” the lawyer admitted. Against the background of major disputes, the incriminating statements of the ex-partner to the police were only made three months later.
The defendant apologized for his behavior at the trial. Back then it was a stupid idea to get in the car at all. When his father called, he picked up his cell phone because the hands-free system wasn’t connected. “Then everything happened so quickly. The mother took the phone and said I should come home – and suddenly I saw a light and then the collision happened.” He would never commit suicide. “I could never do that to my parents.” His ex-girlfriend came up with it because she was very angry with him at the time. A doctor in the state mental hospital ruled out a risk of suicide.
Arrested in Georgia
The Turk had gone into hiding before the charges were brought. The 29-year-old wanted by a European arrest warrant was not arrested in Georgia until March 2022 and later transferred to Austria. The jury found the man guilty of attempted murder that afternoon, the sentence is 15 years in prison, but is not yet final.
The Ministry of Health’s Suicide Prevention Portal offers support for people with suicidal thoughts and their families. Contact details for support organizations in Austria can be found at www.suizid-praevention.gv.at. Information for young people is available at www.bittelebe.at
Source: Nachrichten
