Staff Reporter
A DRUNK motorbike rider has been sentenced to three years in prison for running into and killing a 20-year-old man on an electric scooter in Valencia Province.
The fatal accident took place on the road joining the towns of Carpesa and Tavernes Blanques (Horta Nord) in April 2019, when the 39-year-old convict overtook a car by swerving dangerously into the lane reserved for oncoming traffic.
The victim, Jose Maria Aguilera, was riding his scooter correctly in the opposite direction at the time.
According to the sentence made public today (Thursday March 18), the driver identified as Antonio lost control of his bike ‘due to being under the influence of alcohol’.
Motorbike and scooter crashed head-on, inflicting critical injuries on Jose Maria that caused his death two days later at Valencia’s Hospital Clinico.
A Local Police patrol rushed to the scene, saw the state Antonio was in, and breathalysed him.
The test gave a reading of 0.64 mg of alcohol, when the permitted maximum is 0.25.
In addition, the authorities reported that he was driving too fast for the type of road.
In all, the judge sentenced Antonio to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence, plus a ban on using any type of motor-driven vehicle for five years and an order to pay €132,225 in compensation to the victim’s family.
This is the first manslaughter sentence handed down in Spain for the death of a personal mobility vehicle driver, as previous accidents were blamed on imprudence or lack of skill on behalf of the scooter user.
