Turnaround at trial

Run over your downhill friend with a camper van?

The accused at the start of the trial in Innsbruck

(Bild: Andreas Moser, Krone KREATIV)

Initially, they became close friends through a shared hobby, but after the Lienz town festival in the summer, things escalated between two downhill bikers. One of the two men, a Carinthian (36), was now on trial for attempted murder.

As they had done several times last summer, the two men drove to Lienz in their camper vans to have fun on downhill trails all day long. Afterwards, the duo went to the Lienz town festival. "Around 15 beers", the accused calculated, were consumed during the course of the day and evening.

Mood changed after the party
Shortly before setting off home, the two lost sight of each other. Because the later defendant could no longer be reached on his cell phone, his colleague made accusations before they met in the parking lot. The friends ended up arguing loudly and the mood was more than just low.

"I then loaded up my bike and just wanted to leave to get away from the argument," said the 36-year-old. His friend tried to dissuade him, so he choked him with one hand, which the doctors were later able to clearly diagnose. As he was driving away, the friend then tore open his side door to give him the missing cool bag. The colleague probably fell and was dragged along.

Course of events difficult to clarify
In contrast, the public prosecutor's office assumes that the almost unconscious victim had just pulled himself together when he was hit by the apparently reckless camper van. "An injury to the thigh is undoubtedly a tire imprint," the expert confirmed the suspicion that the man had been caught or even run over. A rib was also broken. The friend testified as a witness, but was unable to give an exact account of what had happened. "Anyway, I suffer from nightmares, have panic attacks and am in therapy."

I behaved badly, but I certainly didn't want to run him over with the bus.

Der Angeklagte beim Prozess

Police were at the door the next day
The defendant pleaded "partially guilty" and said that the argument had suddenly caused him to "lose his inhibitions". But he would never have wanted to run over his friend on purpose. To make matters worse, he did not show any particular concern in the nightly chat when the victim contacted him from the hospital. It was not until the next day that he was confronted with the consequences of his actions. When he was already lying on the couch at home and his mother called: "The police are at the door."

The Carinthian's defence lawyer criticized the investigation right from the start, saying that there was no photographic material of the crime scene. A motor vehicle report was absolutely necessary, he said, as these are often produced even in much less dramatic accidents. The court granted this request and the trial was therefore adjourned until June 11.

In the end, the defendant breathed a sigh of relief: he was released for the time being at the request of the defense and therefore does not have to return to custody. The higher regional court can still appeal against this. The 36-year-old is presumed innocent.