First-time delivery lands Ukrainian driver in Monaco court
The victim did not claim compensation despite being signed off work for 45 days © Monaco Tribune
A Ukrainian driver was involved in a road accident in October 2022 as he made his first ever delivery in Monaco. Confused by the road layout, he caused an accident with serious repercussions for a moped driver.
It’s hard to drive around Monaco when you’re new to the town. A Ukrainian carrier, who had fled the war with his family and was working for a Polish company, knows this from bitter experience. On 27 October 2022, he drove to Monaco for the first time to make a delivery.
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In his delivery truck, he came to the junction between the Albert II tunnel and the boulevard du Jardin Exotique. Confused, he hesitated and ended up partly on the chevrons. “The tunnel entrance is too narrow, so I had to stray onto the chevrons,” he said in Russian, with the help of an interpreter.
After almost coming to a halt, he decided to take the boulevard du Jardin Exotique, but didn’t notice a moped behind him as he changed direction. As he made his manoeuvre, the two-wheeler crashed into the van. The moped driver, who did not attend the hearing, told the police that he didn’t notice any indicators to signal the change of direction.
Did the driver indicate?
On the stand, the Ukrainian driver said he was “astonished to hear I didn’t use the indicator.” He explained that he remembered turning it on, but suggested that it may have then turned off automatically. Unfortunately, the CCTV footage could not resolve the issue. It does however show that the scooter braked late. It was travelling at normal speed but was convinced the van was heading into the tunnel.
45 days’ medical leave
Following the accident, and in light of the violence of the impact, the Ukrainian driver rushed to the aid of the victim, an Armenian, asking “Are you dead?” in Russian, a language they shared.
The moped driver, who suffered several fractures, including his collarbone, was given 45 days’ medical leave. Despite the impact on his health and finances, he claimed no financial compensation and has not filed a civil suit.
A lenient decision, described as “carelessness”
The prosecutor described the manoeuvre as “carelessness,” but also stressed the effort made by the defendant, who had travelled from Poland to attend the hearing, despite a modest income of €800 per month. Taking into account his personal situation and the fact that this was his first offence, she requested a suspended fine of €1,000.
After deliberation, the court found the Ukrainian driver guilty but waived his sentence.