The 70-year-old drunk driver who knocked down a group of nursery school children in a village in Doubs on Tuesday, injuring four, was sentenced Friday in Besançon to 18 months in prison, suspended. The criminal court added to his sentence “unintentional injuries by driver of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol” of an obligation to treat his alcohol addiction and revoked his driving license.
At his immediate trial, the 70-year-old man with a receding hairline and a thick moustache offered clumsy apologies to the families of the four people injured in the accident he caused. “There are entire families who are traumatized and it is difficult to quantify the psychological consequences.” of this tragedy, argued the families’ lawyer Laure Frossard.
On Tuesday at noon, the septuagenarian lost control of his car in Vercel-Villedieu-le-Camp, while driving with 3.07 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. He drove onto a sidewalk where there was a group of about twenty children aged 3 to 6, who had left nursery school to go to the canteen, injuring three children and a 58-year-old chaperone. A passer-by had to intervene to stop the vehicle.
“Black hole”
A 5-year-old girl suffered a broken nose and thumb, and two little boys, one of whom suffered a cranial hematoma, as well as their companion were more lightly injured. The septuagenarian, who was not known to the courts for traffic offences, claims to remember nothing and to have had a “black hole” at the time of the accident. He had consumed alcohol and medication before driving.
“We wonder if he realizes the seriousness of the facts.”reprimanded prosecutor Louise Lena, “It’s lucky that there were no deaths or more serious after-effects.” “We fear that the gentleman will take the wheel again.”while he “is not clear about his alcohol addiction”she stressed, requesting 18 months of imprisonment, 12 of which were suspended.
For the defendant’s lawyer, Clara Brun, on the contrary, the septuagenarian “is well aware of everything that happened, and he regrets it”. “He’s been an alcoholic his whole life. He’s been divorced twice and his daughters turn their backs on him because of his drinking problems. He knows he has a drinking problem.”according to her.
