The District Court of Debrecen sentenced a local man for the offense of driving while intoxicated by issuing a criminal order – without a trial.
With its sentencing, the court sentenced the defendant with no criminal record to a fine of HUF 800,000 and prohibited him from driving on the road for 1 year and 6 months.
According to the essence of the sentence, on the afternoon of June 10, 2022, the accused participated in a team building training organized by his employer together with several colleagues at a restaurant on the outskirts of Debrecen. The accused consumed alcohol at the event.
During the event, it was possible to use an off-road vehicle with no registration number, suitable for transporting two people, in a grassy area not closed to public traffic. The participants could take the vehicle for a ride on the grassy area with a wet, watery surface, and uneven, soggy ground. The accused – despite his previous alcohol consumption – undertook to drive the vehicle, so he took a seat in the driver’s seat, while in the passenger compartment of the car, a female colleague sat in the right front seat, and three of the man’s female colleagues were traveling on the rear platform of the vehicle, standing by holding on to the curtain holder.
Due to his drunkenness, the defendant ignored the driving characteristics of the passenger car, the location of the passengers, and did not choose the speed of the vehicle following the terrain and road conditions. The passengers on the platform fell to the ground, and one of them was pinned under the vehicle.
As a result of the accident, two of the passengers standing on the platform suffered serious injuries, one of them suffered minor injuries, while the victim traveling in the car also suffered minor injuries. During the accident, the defendant also suffered serious injuries that took more than eight days to heal.
There is no appeal against the sentence, but a hearing can be requested within 8 days of its delivery. The court holds a preparatory session in case of a request to hold a trial. The sentence passed on January 15, 2024, has not yet entered into force.
(Debrecen Court)
Photos: Hajdú-Bihar County Police Headquarters
