Fatal tractor accident in Bavaria: Charges against 3 suspects

The charge is smuggling resulting in death, the authorities announced. The three men, who were 17, 22 and 23 years old at the time of the crime in October 2023, are in custody. The youth chamber at the Traunstein Regional Court must now decide whether to admit the charges. The vehicle had a Viennese license plate, and the 24-year-old stateless driver also lived in the federal capital.

• From the archive: Tractor with Viennese license plate: 7 dead in accident in Bavaria

Seven dead, including a child

The driver of the minibus, who was 24 at the time, had an accident while fleeing from the police. The vehicle was completely overcrowded with 23 people. Seven passengers were killed, including a child. Investigations against the driver are ongoing. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he is accused of seven counts of murder.

The three accused are strongly suspected of having organized and carried out the towing as so-called “scout drivers” together with the driver. According to the information, “scout drivers” organize towing and accompany the actual towing vehicle in other cars. They scout out where police checks are taking place and then direct the driver along other routes.

At up to 180 km/h on the motorway

The three men are said to have discovered police checks at the Simbach border crossing on the day of the crime and guided the driver of the minibus to the Burghausen border crossing. When the driver realized that police officers had noticed him, he made a phone call to the scouts and accelerated his vehicle to up to 180 kilometers per hour. The vehicle overturned when entering the Waldkraiburg/Ampfing motorway exit.

The public prosecutor’s office assumes that the scouts – unlike the driver – did not act with the intent to kill and are therefore guilty of smuggling resulting in death.