Three sleeping homeless people barely survived the SUV crash: Refail A. (26) drove drunk, lost control of the car and crashed into the group.
The accident driver got away with 18 months imprisonment on probation in the first trial. But even that was too much for him: A. appealed. The district court should now examine the case. But things turned out differently. Suddenly A. accepted the punishment.
A man in a wheelchair was waiting in front of the hall: Marcus B. (46) was one of the victims. He suffered various fractures, including broken hips. B.: “To this day I’m in pain.” Thank God he no longer lives on the street – “I’ve been in assisted living since the accident.”
Press photo Wagner
The accused Refail A. (26) with his defense attorney in court.
The second joint plaintiff did not appear in person: Robert T. (36). His left leg was so crushed that it had to be amputated. His lawyer: “He had to be resuscitated.” He now lives in his own apartment – “Nursing staff help him.”
July 26, 2020. Sunday morning. There wasn’t much going on on the streets at Bahnhof Zoo. At 7:20 a.m., a Mercedes Benz GLK 220 appeared – weighing 2.4 tons and developing 170 hp.
SUV driver had at least one per thousand alcohol in the blood
A. at the wheel – with at least one per thousand alcohol in the blood, anger in the stomach and without a driver’s license. He is said to have been traveling at 65 to 68 kilometers per hour and therefore too fast when he wanted to leave Joachimsthaler and Hardenbergstrasse. A. lost control of the SUV. He grazed a signpost, hit a garbage can attached to it, crashed onto the sidewalk with the sleeping homeless people.
Press photo Wagner
Marcus B. (47) is one of the victims.
A few passers-by were able to save themselves. Two men lying on the ground were run over and the third man was thrown from his wheelchair by the force of the impact before the heavy car ran over him too. All three victims suffered serious injuries, T.’s life was in danger.
While rescue workers fought for the life of the seriously injured, A. sat whimpering in the car. The man from Neukölln made a partial confession before the district court in July 2022 without having learned a profession.
The SUV driver was sentenced to 18 months on probation
He admitted that he and his then-girlfriend had been hanging out in bars the night before the accident. Then there was Zoff in her apartment because she wanted to separate. He grabbed car keys that were with her. A. regretted in the first trial: “I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” He couldn’t forgive himself “that the gentleman lost a leg because of me”.
Also read: As in a US thriller: Berliner Deutsch-Turke (34) shot four people out of the car – two men were injured>>
The guilty verdict exactly two years after the accident: “Guilty of intentional endangering of road traffic, negligent bodily harm, driving without a license.” 18 months imprisonment on probation. The District Court suspended his driver’s license for two years. He should pay 3,600 euros to one of the injured. Another edition: “100 hours of community service”.
The prosecutor had asked for two years probation, the defense pleaded for three months probation. Only A. appealed. Because he finally took it back, the judgment is final.
