Hit-and-run trial
Family father survives horror crash – perpetrator receives surprising verdict
Watch the video: Family father survives horror crash – perpetrator receives surprising verdict. Video source: RTL
A car crashes into Michael Hahnke’s car on the A57 and the driver flees. The 55-year-old determined the culprit on his own initiative – the verdict is quite surprising.
By Valerio Magno and Sebastian Stöckmann
Right at the beginning of the trial in the Cologne district court, the big bang: The defendant has to answer not only for this case, but also for another case of hit-and-run. “The defendant is said to have been traveling in a truck on Lustheider Strasse in Cologne on December 5th last year and is said to have caused an accident there,” explains court spokeswoman Denise Fuchs-Kaninski. Damage to the other party in the accident: 11,000 euros. The defendant is said to have simply run away here too.
The accident on the A57 did not just result in material damage: a vehicle rammed the car of Michael Hahnke and his son Felix on May 27, 2023. The car is thrown into the guardrail. “There was suddenly this bang out of nowhere,” the 22-year-old reported in the trial. While he was waiting for the police and ambulance, the pain increased. But: “My father had it worse than me. He still has back pain today. He hasn’t been as mobile since that day.”
The defendant looks sometimes at the judge and sometimes at Felix Hahnke while he speaks. He doesn’t show any particular emotion. He listens carefully and has his arms crossed in front of his body.
Michael Hahnke is looking for perpetrators with surveillance video
There was no trace of the perpetrator after the collision; he simply drove on. “For the first few weeks I thought they would get it because the route was under video surveillance,” reported Michael Hahnke in his statement on Friday. But the license plate of the vehicle being sought cannot be identified, and the public prosecutor’s office is temporarily suspending the investigation. Hahnke takes matters into his own hands: he posts the surveillance camera recordings online, and the video is viewed millions of times.
Then the surprise: the suspected perpetrator contacted Michael Hahnke. “He wanted us to talk on the phone,” says the 55-year-old. “I wrote that I didn’t want to talk on the phone.” The defendant then wrote to him again. “The only accusation he could make was that he was driving too fast. His steering was stuck.”
Defendant does not remember accident on A57
A statement that the defendant repeats at trial. “I was panicked after the accident,” he reports. He couldn’t remember the collision; it was probably due to a microsleep. “When I applied the accelerator and brake after the accident, I noticed that something was wrong. The steering wheel was stiff.” He saw a car turning in the rearview mirror.
The judge asks. “Did it occur to you that the people could be injured?” she wants to know from the 21-year-old. “Definitely,” he replies. But he only came up with the idea of calling an ambulance “after the fact.”
Verdict at the trial in Cologne: 21-year-old must do 100 hours of community service
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the defendant of hit-and-run and causing bodily harm. Juvenile criminal law should be applied, says the public prosecutor. “The actions are typical of young people.” What speaks for the 21-year-old is that he confessed and was credibly remorseful.
In his last word, the 21-year-old explains: “I’m really sorry. Maybe you can’t forgive me today, but maybe someday.”
Then the verdict comes down: The court convicts him of two counts of hit-and-run and negligent bodily harm. The defendant is warned and must complete 100 hours of community service and his driver’s license is confiscated. He will not receive a fine (the public prosecutor’s office had demanded 1,000 euros). “You should have called the police at the very moment when you came to a stop,” says the judge to the person who caused the accident. “When an accident happens, you have to face the situation – no matter how unpleasant it is.”
Transparency note: The star belongs to RTL Germany.