Just under two years after the fatal Flixbus crash on the A9 near Leipzig, the driver of the bus has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment on probation. The trial at the Eilenburg District Court found him guilty of negligent manslaughter in four separate cases and negligent bodily injury in 25 cases, as the court announced on Friday.
The judge ruled that the evidence proved the accused lost control of the vehicle on March 27 2024 while driving a Flixbus that carried 53 passengers, besides himself, from Berlin toward Munich. The loss of control was caused by a brief lapse of attention while traveling at 94 km/h. According to the court, the bus first left the right lane, crossed over the shoulder of the road, and upon reaching a drop of about two metres it went into a violent lurching motion and overturned onto its right side after colliding with trees. The impact killed four female passengers and left at least 25 others injured, some seriously.
In determining the sentence, the court weighed the defendant’s full confession, his sincere remorse, and the fact that he had no prior convictions. Since the accident, he has been receiving psychological treatment. The court emphasized that the sentencing took into account the unified execution of the crimes of negligent manslaughter and negligent bodily harm, the number of deaths, and the large number of severely injured persons.
