On Wednesday, May 11, before 4:00 p.m., the duty officer at the Zgorzelec police station was notified of a road incident that occurred on provincial road No. 296, between Ruszów and Iłowa (Zgorzelec County). According to the report, a passenger car had hit a cyclist. Emergency services, including a traffic patrol, were immediately dispatched to the scene.
– The officers working at the scene determined that a 35-year-old resident of Żagań County, driving a Volkswagen, had performed an overtaking maneuver incorrectly and struck a 72-year-old cyclist – reports Comm. Agnieszka Goguł, press officer of the District Police Headquarters in Zgorzelec. – The cyclist was sober, but due to the injuries he sustained, he was taken to hospital.
It turned out that the Volkswagen driver was subject to a court-imposed driving ban. What is more, it emerged that she had got behind the wheel under the influence of methamphetamine. The police are investigating all the circumstances of the case.
Police officers:
We remind you that, under Article 177 of the Criminal Code, causing a road accident in which the injured person does not suffer serious harm to health as referred to in Article 156 & 1 of the Criminal Code is punishable by up to 3 years’ imprisonment. In the event of an accident resulting in death or serious harm to health, the prison sentence is much higher and may be as long as 8 years.
They add:
However, when the person responsible for the accident was intoxicated or under the influence of narcotic substances, the court may impose a prison sentence of up to 12 years and a lifetime ban on driving motor vehicles. In addition, the offender must expect financial consequences as part of compensating for the damage. The offender’s entire property is subject to enforcement and, if there is no separation of property, so is the property of their spouse, including real estate and income.
