In July of last year, an important development occurred in the legal proceedings of a hit-and-run case in Hokkaido’s Otaru City. A man, accused of dangerous driving that caused death and injury as well as hit-and-run, faced an appellate court trial on the 8th of the month at the Sapporo High Court. The trial ended later that day with the court upholding the verdict of the initial trial and rejecting the defendant’s appeal.
The incident in question took place on July 13, 2014, at around 4:30 PM near Sennyohama 3-chome in Otaru City. The accident happened on a straight section of a city road that was about 4.5 meters wide. A speeding RV collided with four women walking on the left side of the road shoulder. Unfortunately, three of these women lost their lives, and one sustained severe injuries. The driver of the RV fled the scene without stopping to offer assistance or report the accident. Later, the police arrested a 31-year-old man (at the time) on suspicion of hit-and-run and other charges.
The man was charged with dangerous driving causing death and injury, as well as violating the Road Traffic Act by hit-and-run. He was found to be intoxicated during his arrest, but during the trial, he argued that the accident was due to distracted driving caused by his smartphone use, known as “known as “脇見” or wakemi” in Japanese, rather than alcohol. The prosecution disagreed, stating that the only explanation was alcohol impairment. The Sapporo District Court found the defendant guilty of dangerous driving, ruling that his attention was significantly impaired by alcohol at the time of the accident. The court rejected the claim of mere distracted driving and sentenced the defendant to 22 years in prison. The defendant appealed the verdict.
The charge of dangerous driving was upheld by the appellate court in the initial trial’s verdict, which was promptly concluded on the same day. This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder of the significance of accountability and the legal process in dealing with such situations. It also highlights the serious consequences of driving under the influence or recklessly, emphasizing the importance of road safety awareness and responsible behavior while driving.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20230713/7000059155.html
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASR7F7VRLR7FIIPE00W.html
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5db5ae9ed22e81bd1f8f75b592e2e47f1cada81c
https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/9655
https://response.jp/article/2015/12/13/266066.html
https://www.hbc.co.jp/news/93f48e89ac2fea0397de39b01fdd940e.html