Why was the SUV dead car sitting at the wheel despite the doctor’s warning? – BZ Berlin
A Porsche driver kills four people: He has a seizure and goes full throttle on Invalidenstrasse (center). Why does the epileptic not keep a driving ban by his doctors? That is the central question in the process before the Berlin district court.
Michael M. (44) is accused of fourfold negligent homicide and endangering road traffic. His car: a Porsche Macan Turbo (440 hp, from 90,000 euros, 15 liters in consumption).
The SUV driver caused the terrible accident on September 6, 2019 at the traffic lights Invalidenstrasse and the corner of Ackerstrasse in Mitte. His Porsche swerved between Bergstrasse and Ackerstrasse. Witnesses describe this as a “very controlled steering movement”.
The SUV shot straight ahead at 106 km / h through bollards and traffic lights into people waiting there. A Briton (29) and a Spaniard (28) as well as a woman (64) and her grandson (3) died. The mother of the child had to see everything. Nothing happened quickly to the Porsche occupants.
Why was Michael M. behind the wheel?
On May 12, 2019, he had an epileptic seizure for the first time. It’s like a short circuit in the brain – loss of control over the body, cramps and even unconsciousness. He came to the rescue center.
However, contrary to the advice of the doctors, he discharged himself. “I am leaving the hospital against medical advice, I know that I am responsible for all the consequences myself,” he signed at the time.
He was given a letter addressed to doctors who should continue to treat him. It says that anti-epileptic medication should be taken for at least three months, and that.
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The prosecutor puts the emphasis on “at least” and says: “He knew that he was not allowed to drive a car on the day of the incident.”
The Porsche driver denies that: On August 7, 2019, he planned a brain operation in Switzerland to remove a benign tumor. He says, “I was released as cured.”
According to the doctors, the tumor had caused the seizure. The Porsche driver claims that no one explicitly advised him that he was not allowed to drive. His Swiss professor simply advised him, “It is better not to drive a car for the next four weeks.”
This recommended period had passed without any further seizures when the accident happened.
Incidentally, the Porsche driver’s license was not withdrawn even after the accident. “From a medical point of view, I have been driving again for a year,” he says. But he never got behind a car tax again.
He faces up to five years in prison. Next November 15th. Judgment February 9, 2022.