At 100 km/h on the Ring

Cyclist dragged along: Imprisonment for Viennese speeding driver

The 41-year-old Viennese with his lawyer Nikolaus Rast.

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner, Krone KREATIV)

On June 26, a 41-year-old man thundered along Vienna's Ringstrasse at speeds of up to 100 km/h - regardless of the consequences. Not only did he drive towards a crowd of people and hit a car, he also knocked over a cyclist at the parliament. Clinging to the hood, he even dragged him along for meters. The defendant received a prison sentence for this.

"The defendant was driving a car and raced across the Wiener Ring. Everyone in this room will know what it looks like there at 6 pm. There are numerous drivers and passers-by on the road," said the public prosecutor in the regional court. But that didn't matter to the 41-year-old. He thundered over the streetcar tracks at up to 100 km/h. 

Driving towards a crowd of people
At Schmerlingplatz, he lost control and the rear of the Toyota broke away. He skidded onto the sidewalk towards a crowd of 15 people - some even had to jump to the side. Who knows what would have happened otherwise ...

The defendant saw the cyclist. The two made eye contact. He laughed and simply drove on.

Staatsanwältin im Wiener Landesgericht

After he had also hit the front of another car, the most frightening incident finally occurred at the parliament: "The defendant saw the cyclist. The two made eye contact. He laughed and simply drove on," pleaded the public prosecutor. The cyclist was only just able to hold on to the hood and was dragged along for several meters.

Cyclist is still suffering
"The physical injuries are manageable and are healing", the victim's representative speaks of a broken arm and a hip fracture. "What's the problem with him is that he's mentally devastated." He couldn't go to work for a long time and didn't dare travel on public transport. He keeps seeing the speeding driver's face in front of him. 

Lawyer Nikolaus Rast defends the drunk driver.

(Bild: Klemens Groh)

He is now sitting in the dock at the Vienna Regional Court. His defense lawyer, Nikolaus Rast, tries to explain to the jury why this crazy drive happened on June 24: the 41-year-old has suffered from an alcohol problem since he was young. The reason why his fiancée separated from him. Even when he underwent therapy, she did not want to resume the relationship. "He then started drinking again - not drinking," says his defense lawyer Rast. 

"That was a huge mistake"
And so he got into his brother's car and raced across the ring - regardless of the consequences. "I am ashamed. That was a huge mistake. If I could turn back time, I would do it." He agrees to alcohol therapy, even welcomes it. Especially as he wanted to continue his inpatient treatment in June. Because he had no insurance, this was refused ...

With a sentence of up to ten years, the sentence handed down by the Vienna regional court is quite lenient: Two years' imprisonment, six months of which were unconditional, for willful endangerment of the public, intentional grievous bodily harm, attempted grievous bodily harm and grievous damage to property. Both the public prosecutor and the 41-year-old speeding driver accept the sentence.