Crash: Coxswain crashes into lock gate with a blood alcohol level of 1.13 - and is sentenced
Leonie Meyer
· 26.11.2024
A female helmsman caused a serious shipping accident on the Rhine when she broke through an 80-tonne lock gate near Iffezheim while drunk. The 50-year-old defendant has now been sentenced to five months' probation by the shipping court in Kehl. The incident occurred in November last year when the helmswoman had a blood alcohol level of 1.13 per mille. The coxswain did not respond to any radio instructions from the lock employee.
The court found that the defendant's alcohol consumption was the cause of the accident. The defence pleaded for acquittal, but the court fell slightly short of the prosecution's demand for a six-month suspended prison sentence.
The defendant stated that she had been drinking wine on the day of the accident and had fallen asleep. According to her statement, she was unconscious. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident, but millions were lost. A water police officer described the crash as a "case of the century".
Sluice gate crash caused a stir
The shipping accident caused a nationwide sensation, as the lock gate was completely destroyed by the cargo ship "La Primavera" and the damage was estimated at around 2.5 million euros. The repairs to the large lock in the district of Rastatt continue to affect shipping traffic. The defendant already had a previous conviction for an alcohol-related incident on the Rhine in Mannheim and has now been sentenced again.
The trial took place before the Kehl district court, which is responsible for the section of the Rhine in question as a navigation court. The convicted woman was instructed to steer sober and carefully in future in order to avoid further accidents.
