“We almost had a tragedy”: woman in 70s collides with motorbike
Despite denying any responsibility for the accident, she was convicted of causing unintentional injuries.
Late in the morning of 2 December 2023, the sun was shining and gradually warming the streets of the Principality. A pedestrian was quietly walking his dog on Boulevard d’Italie and a car, driven by a Monegasque woman in her seventies, attempted to turn into the driveway leading to her home, when what could have been a fatal accident occurred.
As she turned, the driver collided with a motorbike. The driver and passenger were knocked off the two-wheeler and thrown over the car. The rider was found 6.30 metres from the motorbike, and the passenger landed 16 metres away.
By her own admission, the driver of the car was perfectly familiar with the area and knew full well that it is dangerous. And yet, when she began her manoeuvre, there was no sign of her stopping on the surveillance camera footage. Although she did slow down, the driver believed that “the youngsters were a long way off when (she) started manoeuvring,” and denied any responsibility for the accident. “They were going too fast,” she said when interviewed by the police.
Conspicuous by her absence
The septuagenarian did not attend the court hearing. “She is not picking up her mail,” mentioned Florestan Bellinzona, the presiding magistrate. The deputy public prosecutor also rued the fact: “We have a lot of questions for her, but she’s not here to answer them.”
Fortunately, although the impact was “particularly violent,” the two youngsters escaped with relatively minor injuries: several broken fingers, a damaged jaw, triple fractures, an avulsion fracture, various lacerations, etc. “We almost had a tragedy! If one of them had landed badly, they wouldn’t be here,” said the deputy public prosecutor.
In her opinion, the accident was caused by “a failure to give way.” The driver of the two-wheeler did try to avoid the car, as the CCTV footage shows, but the car “made a sharp turn” and it was too late to avoid it. “I’m worried about this driver because she’s dangerous. The truth of the matter is, she was the one who misjudged the distance and her capabilities. Not the motorbike that was going too fast. The video footage is startling!” said the Deputy Public Prosecutor.
“This driver is dangerous”
“These two 20-year-olds’ lives have been put on hold,” as a doctor signed them off work for two months, and treatment is still ongoing today, argued the defence counsel, who considered the statement by the 70-year-old to be edifying, accusing the young people who were in the correct lane and did everything they could to avoid her.
The driver received a suspended €1,000 fine for causing the accident. The deputy public prosecutor asked for a six-month suspended prison sentence, a €500 fine and a six-month driving ban to give the driver “the opportunity to re-acquaint herself with road safety.” The two victims have filed a civil suit and are each seeking €1,200 in damages.