Chronicle
At the district court in Zell am See (Pinzgau), snowboard Olympic champion Benjamin Karl from Lower Austria has a court date on Friday – because of the fatal traffic accident he caused on Felbertauernstraße. At that time, the driver of an oncoming car was killed.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses Karl of negligent homicide. Almost a year ago – in June 2021 – he was on his way to East Tyrol, where he lives, via the Felbertauernstraße. The public prosecutor emphasizes that he was traveling too fast with his powerfully motorized sponsor car in the rain.
Man dead, woman seriously injured
After an avalanche gallery, the road was covered with a layer of hail. Karl’s car swerved, spun into the oncoming lane and into the car of a couple from Pinzgau. The 70-year-old driver was killed and his wife seriously injured.
The public prosecutor accuses Benjamin Karl of not having driven on sight and of having acted negligently. If found guilty, the Olympic snowboard champion now faces up to a year in prison or a fine.
Oscar Weiß is the defender of the athlete. He has previously called this fatal accident “inevitable.” In front of the avalanche gallery there was no hail on the street. After the gallery, the grains of ice were there – suddenly and unpredictably.
Two court experts on the word
Two experts from the court also decided on Friday whether they were guilty or not. One assesses the car, speed and driving behavior. The other sheds light on the exact weather conditions at the time of the accident. According to media reports, Benjamin Karl met the victims’ families some time ago, apologized and expressed his deepest condolences.