Court finds driver not guilty over jaywalker’s death

A 22-year-old female driver has been found not guilty of manslaughter after her car hit and killed a mainland tourist on the Avenida de Amizade last February. Both the defendant and her insurance company did not need to compensate the victim.
The incident took place on February 7, last year. A man was crossing the section of the Avenida de Amizade near the Casino Oceanus and the Fisherman’s Wharf when he was hit by a car and died the day after.
He was later found to be a mainland tourist from Shanxi province, and was working as a doctor and a teacher in a law school. He is survived by his wife and his son, a high-school student.
During sentencing, Judge Ip Son Sang of the Court of First Instance (TJB) pointed out that the main issue in the case was to find out whether the defendant had committed any wrongdoing during her driving.
He said that there was an overpass near the scene and the driver’s vision was also blocked by cars on the other lane. Witnesses have also testified that the victim walked very fast.
Although it is pointed out that the driver did not stay in the right lane, Ip Son Sang said that there were coach buses parked in the right lane. As a result, he found the accused to have committed no wrongdoing and to bear no criminal responsibility.
Moreover, since it is the victim who violated the traffic regulations by jaywalking, the court found that there were no grounds for the request of an indemnity. Therefore, the court has acquitted the accused and his insurance company. JPL