Hit and killed a woman at a crosswalk, but won’t go to prison: how the Korabelnyi District Court assessed the crash

Korabelnyi District Court of the city of Mykolaiv handed down a verdict to the driver of a Daewoo Lanos, Buhai Oleksandr Anatoliyovych, who fatally struck a 62-year-old woman at an unregulated pedestrian crossing. Formally the man was sentenced to five years of imprisonment, however in practice he will not go to prison: the court released him from serving the sentence with a probation period of two years.

The tragedy occurred at about 19:00 on January 8, 2026 at the intersection of Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue and Hetman Sahaidachnyi Street in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv. According to the case materials, the driver of the ZAZ Daewoo T-13110 was traveling along the avenue at night on a wet paved road. At that time the woman was crossing the roadway at an unregulated pedestrian crossing. The investigation established that the driver had the opportunity to see the pedestrian but did not reduce speed to a complete stop and did not yield. As a result of the collision the woman suffered injuries from which she died at the scene of the accident. The court documents state that the accident occurred due to the driver’s violation of the traffic rules, in particular the duty to be attentive, monitor road conditions and yield to pedestrians at crossings.

At the trial the defendant fully admitted guilt. He explained that that evening the weather conditions were difficult: it was raining, it was dark, and he was distracted and inattentive. The court also took into account that the man had no prior convictions, admitted guilt and compensated the injured party for the damages. In particular, the driver compensated material damage in the amount of 39 thousand hryvnias — these were burial expenses for the deceased. In addition, he paid moral compensation in the amount of 5 thousand US dollars. Separately, the court took into account his “active civic position” — a transfer of 100 thousand hryvnias for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The court agreed with the prosecutor’s position that the defendant’s correction is possible without actual serving of the sentence. In the end the man was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of road traffic safety rules that caused the victim’s death. He was sentenced to five years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for two years. But at the same time the court applied release from serving the sentence with probation. In simple terms, if during the two-year probation period the man performs the duties set by the court and does not commit a new crime, he will not serve the actual term of imprisonment. In addition, the driver was ordered to pay 18,114 hryvnias for the conducting of court examinations. The seizure on the car used in the fatal accident was lifted and the vehicle was returned to the owner.

This verdict is unlikely to go without public reaction in the Korabelnyi district. The woman died exactly on the pedestrian crossing, that is in a place where the driver had to be maximally attentive and was obliged to yield to the pedestrian. At the same time the court decided that compensation to the family, admission of guilt, lack of prior convictions and support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine are sufficient grounds for punishment without actual imprisonment.

Reminder, earlier we wrote:

• Fatal accident in Mykolaiv on the avenue: case referred to court, driver faces up to 8 years
• Fatal accident in Korabelnyi: 23-year-old driver struck a 62-year-old woman at a pedestrian crossing
• Fatal collision near a store: female pedestrian died at the scene
• Three cars collided in Mykolaiv region: rescuers extricated the driver from a mangled passenger car
• An 88-year-old woman lost a leg after an accident in Mykolaiv, and the truck driver received a suspended sentence