Bus driver fined: tragic accident cost lives!

Bus driver fined: tragic accident cost lives!

On July 9, 2025, a tragic verdict took place at the Erdinger district court that deeply touched the community. A 59-year-old bus driver from Dachau was on trial for negligent homicide after he lost control of his coach during a serious accident at the airport on Terminalstraße Nord in July 2024. The bus sped into a taxi rank without braking and crashed into a taxi. The 27-year-old taxi driver who was hit by the vehicle suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and died a few days later in Bogenhausen Hospital, as Merkur reports.

At the hearing, the defendant expressed regret over what happened and apologized to the family of the deceased. However, it turned out that the bus driver had previously been an accident-free bus driver for five years and had no entries in the central traffic register. Nevertheless, the accident was not without consequences. Witnesses reported that he swore loudly before the incident and accelerated the vehicle before the collision occurred. The court and an expert opinion concluded that the driver was unlikely to faint. Rather, there was a confusion between the gas and brake pedals.

Penalty and legal consequences

The court imposed a fine of 130 daily rates of 80 euros each because the defendant had not previously been convicted of traffic offenses. This decision is in accordance with the provisions of Section 222 of the Criminal Code, which regulates negligent homicide. According to Bussgeldkatalog, negligent homicide is often dealt with in traffic and can be punished with a fine or up to five years in prison. The circumstances of the individual case are always taken into account.

Negligent homicide occurs when other people are harmed due to failure to exercise due care, which was clearly the case in this case. The court found that the defendant could no longer remember the exact course of the accident and that there was obviously a human error - mixing up the pedals.

Another aspect behind the ruling is the psychological stress on the driver. After the accident, he is in therapy because of the events. The punishment imposed on him also reflects the fact that he was previously of good criminal record and was therefore granted a certain level of leniency.

Context to involuntary manslaughter

Involuntary manslaughter is a serious matter in German law, explains Anwalt.de. It differs from intentional acts such as murder or manslaughter. An important criterion is the duty of care that every road user must observe. Failure to comply with these obligations often leads to serious accidents that can have catastrophic consequences. According to the Criminal Code, the statute of limitations for negligent homicide is five years, which means that those affected can file criminal charges during this period.

The tragedy of this accident not only impacts the families affected, but also sheds light on the responsibility of all road users to always exercise the utmost care. The incident is a stark reminder that even a small moment of carelessness can have fatal consequences.