It was late on Friday evening, 3 June last year, that the car in which the three friends were sitting was hit by another car in the Blindheim tunnel on the E39 in Sunnmøre. The three were on their way home from a performance at Teaterfabrikken in Ålesund. Kirsti Nedregård (51) and Kathrine Krogen (47) died as a result of the injuries they sustained in the accident. Janice Karina Buen (49) died almost seven weeks later in hospital from the injuries she sustained. A woman in her 20s was behind the wheel of the car that collided with her friends. The public prosecutor in Møre og Romsdal has prosecuted the woman for breaching Section 281 of the Penal Code on negligent homicide and for negligent driving, based on Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act. Negligent homicide carries a penalty of up to six years. – Horrificly on Tuesday, the trial started against a Sunnmøre woman in her mid-20s. She was dressed in black and white and hid her face in her hands before the trial started. When asked what she thought about the fact that she had caused three people to lose their lives, she replied: – What has happened is absolutely horrible and something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The woman broke down in tears several times during her explanation. Admits criminal guilt In court, the woman replied that she does not remember pressing the gas pedal nor that she drove into the tunnel on the night of the accident. The woman was driving a white car, which a friend had asked if she wanted to borrow to drive them to the center of Ålesund. She had driven this car once before. Reidar Andresen is the woman’s defender. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The woman explained in court that she registered that it was a different type of car, both because of the sound of the engine and the way the car was driven. She said that she doesn’t remember anything about the accident and that the first thing she remembers is being in the ambulance. There she asked the paramedics how the other passengers in her car had fared. Furthermore, she explained that it was only the day after the accident that she found out that people in the car she collided with had died in the accident. The woman pleaded guilty to what she is accused of when the trial started on Tuesday. She also accepts to pay any compensation claims in the case. The woman’s defense attorney began his introduction by saying that she has been greatly affected since the incident and that she has been on sick leave since then. My wife had a speed of over 90 kilometers per hour. The accident at Sunnmøre was one of a record number of traffic fatalities last year. Over the past 50 years, traffic fatalities have decreased year by year. But last year the number of people killed in traffic increased from 80 in 2021 to a whopping 118 in 2022. The accused woman in her 20s and three passengers in the car. These are said to have suffered minor to moderate injuries and they received various injuries. Police prosecutor Magne Baltzer Grimstvedt Kvalvik believes the woman in her 20s must have been traveling at a high speed when the two cars collided. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The speed limit at the place where the accident happened is 70 kilometers per hour. The police believe that the woman drove into the tunnel at a speed of over 90 kilometers per hour. According to the indictment, she must have stepped on the gas, which caused her to lose control of the car and cross into the oncoming lane where she collided with the oncoming car. According to the prosecution, the woman must have had a speed of 116 kilometers per hour one and a half seconds before the collision. It emerged in court on Tuesday. During the trial, a video of the collision inside the Blindheim tunnel was also shown. Some of the relatives looked away when this was played. Wish things were different It all started with the woman picking up three friends and driving them to the center of Ålesund. She first picked them up in her own car and drove towards the center of Ålesund. After driving through the Blindheim Tunnel once, they turned around and drove back to get something. There they also changed cars, and it was this one that was involved in the collision. Police prosecutor Magne Baltzer Grimstvedt Kvalvik asked the woman if there was anything she would have done differently when she now looks back on what happened. – Yes, I sit and think about it almost every day. What if I hadn’t picked them up? What if we hadn’t turned around and changed cars? What if we had taken a different path? It’s something I think about every day, explained the woman in her 20s. Was asked about reckless driving Police attorney Kvalvik also went through the evidence that they have retrieved from the woman’s mobile phone. In court, he presented several photos where you could see the speedometer showing a high speed. The woman explained that she did not remember who had driven the car in the photo. – Can one get the impression that fast cars and speed have been an interest for you?, asked the police attorney. – I don’t want to say that. The fact that I think cars are nice is completely superficial. I have not been happy with speed and excitement. I have not been interested in putting my life or anyone else’s life in danger, answered the woman. The woman was also asked if there had been reckless driving that day and if someone had influenced her while driving. The woman denied this and replied again that she does not remember what happened when they drove into the tunnel and lost control of the car. In court, a photo of a GPS radar that the woman had in her car was also shown. These can, among other things, notify about controls or other obstacles in traffic. She explained that this was a gift. – So it’s not to drive fast without getting caught?, asked Kvalvik. – No, it’s not, answered the woman. Sat with the defendant One of the passengers, who sat in the car the defendant was driving, also explained himself in court today. He said that he had been drinking that night and remembers little of what happened. He mostly sat and looked at his mobile when the car drove into the tunnel. In an earlier hearing, he had explained that he heard the noise in the car before they collided with an oncoming car. When asked by the prosecutor, he replied that he did not know what was the reason why the car had been hit just before. He said he looked up from his mobile as they were about to hit the oncoming car. The man explained that he thinks it has been difficult in the aftermath of the accident and that he has struggled mentally. Helped after the accident One of the first to arrive at the scene of the accident also explained himself in court. He drove the car in front of the green car with the three women. In court, he explained that he met the white car, which he thought was going faster than the local speed limit, when it passed him. The driver says he must have heard a buzzing sound that has burned into his mind. Then he must have heard a screeching sound before it fell. In the mirror he saw that the cars had collided. He parked the car in a pocket, then called the emergency center and then ran to help. Then several people had arrived on the same errand. The man who drove behind the green accident car also testified in court. He explained that he quickly perceived the accident as serious. He too ran to help. The man first stopped at the white car. There he found a person on the front passenger side of the car sitting with his head bowed. He then straightened the man’s head so that he could clear his airways. After helping here, he then ran over to the other car to help there. With the help of a wallpaper knife, he managed to free one of the women who died. In court, the man first explained that he thought the accused woman must have been speeding. The woman’s defender then pointed to the right immediately after the accident, where he did not say anything about the car being at high speed. He also pointed out that the man had explained that he thought he would have reacted if the car had been traveling at high speed. The two cars collided inside the Blindheim Tunnel in Ålesund in June last year. Photo: Tipser Almost hit by a similar car A young woman explained in court this afternoon that she was almost hit by a black Mercedes earlier in the evening. This is supposed to be similar to the car the accused woman drove earlier in the evening. She says that the car had to give way, but that she had to brake suddenly to avoid a collision in a roundabout. The woman explained in court that the window was sooty and that she was unable to see the driver or how many people were in the car. She said she was upset when she heard about the traffic accident in the tunnel shortly after. Black box Data will also be presented to the court showing, among other things, the speed and acceleration five seconds before the collision in the Blindheim tunnel. The car the defendant was driving had an airbag module installed, and the police believe it shows important information about how the accident happened. On Wednesday, a professional from the Norwegian Road Administration will explain about data from the airbag module. Trial over three days Three days have been set aside for the case in Møre and Romsdal District Court. Read all about the matter here:
ttn-69
Woman in her 20s accused of negligent homicide explained herself in court – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
