A driver received a suspended sentence for a woman’s death on a road in Mykolaiv

For violating traffic safety rules and causing a woman’s death in Mykolaiv, the driver of an Opel Vectra was sentenced to 5 years in prison. However, the court suspended the sentence, placing him on probation for 3 years. Details of the case and the reasons for the verdict are set out in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions (reyestr.court.gov.ua).

The crash happened on October 11, 2024, at around 11:29 p.m. on Kosmonavtiv Street, near 122-B. At the time, a car fatally struck a woman lying in the roadway.

The driver was traveling in the left lane toward Khersonske Highway, although the right lane was clear. The woman was lying on her back in the road. The man saw the obstacle but could not avoid the collision: the car first struck the victim and then ran over her with its front and rear wheels. She died at the scene from her severe injuries.

During the trial, the driver said the asphalt was wet and covered with sand and fine gravel, and that he had been driving at approximately 50 km/h—the speed limit on that stretch. However, the crash-scene inspection report stated otherwise: the road surface was dry and clean. An automotive technical examination found that the car had been traveling at about 70 km/h before braking began.

Experts concluded that observing the speed limit and other traffic rules would have enabled the driver to avoid hitting the woman.

The man also insisted that he could not have expected a person to be on the road. However, a surveillance camera captured another driver ahead of him noticing the woman and swerving around her into the oncoming lane. The court considered that maneuver a warning to the Opel driver of possible danger.

The deceased had 2.24 per mille of alcohol in her blood. In determining the sentence, the court considered both this circumstance and the woman’s position lying across the roadway. The court noted that the pedestrian’s behavior was not the initial cause of the crash, but it affected the driver’s ability to spot the danger in time.

The deceased had worked as the head of a post office. She is survived by her husband and two children. Her mother, who was recognized as a victim in the case, told the court that the driver had transferred 8,000 hryvnias to her. They had also agreed on further compensation for damages, including after the insurance payout. The deceased’s mother said she considered a suspended sentence for the defendant acceptable.

During the probation period, the convicted man is required to:

• report periodically to the probation authority;
• notify the authority of any change of residence or employment.

The court did not additionally ban the man from driving. The verdict explained that his job as a driver at the municipal company Mykolaivvodokanal is his source of income.

The verdict may be appealed within 30 days.

We previously reported:

• Ambulance driver fatally hits pedestrian in Mykolaiv: 5 years’ probation
• Caught drunk multiple times and banned from driving, but got behind the wheel again: fatal crash defendant to face trial
• Hit a woman at an uncontrolled crossing: 18-year-old Mykolaiv resident placed under probation supervision
• Ran over a woman with a truck but kept his driving privileges: Mykolaiv driver given three years’ probation
• Killed someone but won’t go to prison: Mykolaiv driver receives a suspended sentence