SUV driver in Malaga coach collision remanded in custody
Man could face 4-20 years in prison over crash with bus
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The driver of the SUV which collided with a coach carrying Finnish tourists to Malaga Airport in Spain late last month was remanded in custody on Wednesday. Nine people were killed in the accident.
Judge Blanca Medialdea handed down a decision in a court in Torremolinos, in which she agreed with the prosecution, and refused to grant the man bail, the online version of the Spanish newspaper El País reported on Wednesday.
The driver faces charges of endangering traffic safety, manslaughter, and causing serious injury.
Traffic Safety Prosecutor Javier de Torres says that the punishment can be from 4 to 20 years imprisonment.
Nine Finnish tourists were killed and more than 30 were injured in the accident that took place on the evening of Saturday, April 19th on the AP-7 motorway at the municipal border of Benalmadena and Torremolinos.
The driver, who was slightly injured himself, was being treated at a Malaga hospital. He was wearing a neck brace during the court appearance.
Initial investigations suggest that the SUV was moving at excessive speed under the prevailing circumstances.
On the night in question, in heavy rain and with high winds, the driver tried to overtake the coach in a place where the motorway was going downhill and veering left.
He lost control of his vehicle, crashed into the motorway's reservation barrier, and then hit the bus in the rear, causing it to topple over and smash into the central reservation, with dire consequences for those on board.
In a breath test administered by the Guardia Civil, the driver's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.5 milligrams per litre, which is twice the legal limit in Spain.
Judge Blanca Medialdea handed down a decision in a court in Torremolinos, in which she agreed with the prosecution, and refused to grant the man bail, the online version of the Spanish newspaper El País reported on Wednesday.
The driver faces charges of endangering traffic safety, manslaughter, and causing serious injury.
Traffic Safety Prosecutor Javier de Torres says that the punishment can be from 4 to 20 years imprisonment.
Nine Finnish tourists were killed and more than 30 were injured in the accident that took place on the evening of Saturday, April 19th on the AP-7 motorway at the municipal border of Benalmadena and Torremolinos.
The driver, who was slightly injured himself, was being treated at a Malaga hospital. He was wearing a neck brace during the court appearance.
Initial investigations suggest that the SUV was moving at excessive speed under the prevailing circumstances.
On the night in question, in heavy rain and with high winds, the driver tried to overtake the coach in a place where the motorway was going downhill and veering left.
He lost control of his vehicle, crashed into the motorway's reservation barrier, and then hit the bus in the rear, causing it to topple over and smash into the central reservation, with dire consequences for those on board.
In a breath test administered by the Guardia Civil, the driver's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.5 milligrams per litre, which is twice the legal limit in Spain.
Helsingin Sanomat