27. 08. 10. - 12:00

Policeman jailed over fatal hit and run crash

A 52-year-old policeman has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for a fatal hit and run crash half a year ago.

Judges at a court in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, heard yesterday (Thurs) how the now suspended officer had fled by foot after the accident last December.

He had hit a 74-year-old’s car, sending both vehicles down a steep embankment on the B70 main road in the province’s Lavant Valley. The former policeman escaped from his wrecked car unharmed, while the pensioner died instantly.

Provincial police have come under fire for trying to avoid having his alcohol level made public. Prosecutor Sandra Agnoli however announced that the offender was almost five times over the legal limit.

The defendant – arrested at a local pub hours after the smash – nevertheless denied having been under the influence when he caused the crash. The man, who appealed the verdict, claimed he had only started drinking after the incident.

More than 600 people lost their lives in traffic accidents across Austria last year.

The Committee for Traffic Safety (KfV) announced recently that 633 people had been killed on roads in the country in 2009, down by 6.8 per cent year on year.

The number of people who died in crashes involving drink driving declined by 13.2 per cent from 53 to 46 per cent, the body added.

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