The accident, which happened in March 2024 on the A9 highway near Leipzig, is described by the German media as one of the worst in recent years. There were 54 people in the Flixbus bus, including a Czech driver and a substitute driver from Slovakia. The vehicle then suddenly went down into a ditch, where it overturned on its side. Four women did not survive the accident – the youngest was 19 and the oldest 47.
At the court in Leipzig, the 64-year-old man was now responsible for manslaughter due to negligence in four cases and for bodily injury due to negligence in 46 cases. According to the indictment, the driver lost control of the bus at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he did not pay enough attention to driving and caused the accident.
He was not under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication and he observed all prescribed breaks. The experts did not find any technical defect on the bus.
On Friday, the defense attorney read the statement of the Czech driver in court, who fully accepted the description of the event mentioned in the indictment. He also stated that at the time of the accident, he made a mistake and was careless when he bent down to pick up his cap after being blinded by the sun. But at this moment, at a speed of one hundred kilometers per hour, he lost control over the vehicle and crashed.
