Slavonian restaurateur D. L. sentenced to seven years in prison for causing a head-on collision with nearly two per mille alcohol in his blood and under the influence of marijuana, resulting in the death of a 42-year-old father.
The County Court in Osijek has delivered a non-final verdict sentencing 36-year-old Slavonian restaurateur D. L. to seven years in prison for a traffic accident on October 31, 2024, in which a 42-year-old Peugeot driver lost his life. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a three-year driving ban and ordered him to pay 3,123 euros in court costs, as reported by Jutarnji list on August 13, 2026.
On the fateful day, the accused was driving an Audi A6 towards Bilje when, on the county road, he decided to overtake a bus carrying about ten children. He struck the left side of the bus, and then collided head-on with a Peugeot 3008 in which a family of three from Pula was traveling towards Osijek. The force of the impact caused the Peugeot driver to lose control, veer down an embankment, and die, while his wife and eight-year-old daughter were hospitalized with serious injuries.
According to Index's report, D. L. was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time of the accident. The tragedy occurred on the county road towards Bilje, where he was driving an Audi A6. During the drive, he attempted to overtake a bus with about ten children on board, after which he collided with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction towards Osijek.
The accident occurred on October 31, 2024, on the county road towards Bilje. According to the verdict, D. L. was driving an Audi A6 with nearly two per mille alcohol in his blood and under the influence of marijuana. At a speed of about 110 km/h, he began overtaking a bus carrying about ten children, struck its left side, and then collided head-on with a Peugeot 3008 coming from the opposite direction. The force of the impact caused the Peugeot to spin and go down an embankment. The driver died, and his wife and daughter were hospitalized with serious injuries.
In the courtroom, D. L. denied any guilt, claiming he does not remember the accident itself, but he detailed what he did before the fatal drive. "That day, I met a lady at Copacabana to arrange dog sitting, and then I still had to go to a pet boarding facility. The Audi I was driving is my wife's, and I had two Carlsbergs, pelinkovac, and two shots of rakija, but I hadn't eaten anything," the accused recounted, adding that he had also smoked a joint that morning.
The court, however, did not believe his account of the amount of alcohol consumed, as it contradicted the expert findings, which established nearly two per mille alcohol in his blood. Before the accident, the accused owned two catering establishments, but now, as he said, he is just an employee at his wife's bar. "I'm sorry for everything, but I can't turn back time," he concluded.
When asked why he had not apologized to the victim's family, D. L. said he intended to do so through his lawyer, but it never happened. "I'm sorry for everything, but I can't turn back time," he stated, as reported by Jutarnji list.
The deceased driver's wife, in tears, described the moments of the accident in court. They were on vacation and wanted to take their eight-year-old daughter to the zoo, and her husband had also visited relatives in Vukovar. On their way back from a restaurant, they headed towards Osijek.
"My husband was driving, the child was in a car seat in the back, we were all wearing seat belts, and then suddenly another car hit us. I only remember a terrible impact and a bang," recounted the 44-year-old. She tried to reach her husband but could only touch his jeans and feet. Her daughter cried out, 'Mommy, help!' They were extracted and taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she learned during the ride that her husband had died.
She spent 12 days in the hospital after surgery, and her treatment lasted a year and a half. "I'm still on sick leave, and we've also suffered a loss because we lost one income while I have a loan. The accused never communicated with us in any way nor inquired about my and my child's health," said the widow.
The bus driver, who was transporting children to Beli Manastir, recounted that at one point, when he looked in the rearview mirror, he saw the light of a left headlight of a car behind him. "That car, with its dimensions, extended beyond the bus I was driving. In 30 years as a professional driver, I always monitor the entire traffic situation. I didn't notice that oncoming vehicle," he recalled.
After the impact, he focused on stopping the bus, and when he got out, he saw the Audi driver slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious. A lady pointed out to him another vehicle that had ended up in a ditch on the opposite side. He also said that usually, when a bus driver sees someone wanting to overtake but won't make it in time, he brakes to allow for a smooth overtake, but in this case, he didn't brake because the vehicle appeared suddenly.
The bus driver testified that he only noticed the Audi at the moment of impact and estimated that it approached at an extremely high speed.
On the section where the speed limit is 70 km/h, the bus was traveling at 83 km/h at the moment of impact, the Peugeot at 89 km/h, and the Audi was doing 110 km/h when it began overtaking. The traffic-technical expert, in his supplementary findings, explained that the accident would not have been avoided even if the Peugeot and bus drivers had been traveling at the speed limit and the deceased driver had braked intensely, because the bus would still have been an obstacle for the Audi to return to the right lane. The expert opinion also states that, based on the Peugeot's determined speed, the deceased person did not contribute to the accident. The defendant, due to alcohol and drugs, was unable to safely operate a vehicle.
The traffic-technical expert concluded that the accident would not have been avoided even if the bus and Peugeot had been traveling at the speed limit. He also determined that the deceased driver did not contribute to the accident and that D. L., due to alcohol and drugs, was not capable of safe driving.
The court found several mitigating circumstances for the accused, including that he is a family man, father of three children, and that he himself suffered serious injuries requiring a 10-day hospital stay and now has a rod in his leg. Also considered mitigating was his expression of regret, albeit very brief. However, the aggravating circumstances were significantly more severe. "Aggravating circumstances include the commission of the criminal offense, violation of three blanket provisions of the Road Traffic Safety Act. In the accident, he injured three people, one of whom died, the deceased's eight-year-old child was seriously injured, and the wife suffered life-threatening injuries requiring a year and a half of treatment," explained the judge of the County Court in Osijek. She also stated that the accused showed no apology nor attempted to contact the victim's family, especially since he had the opportunity to do so during the trial, where he was present with the visibly distressed and crying injured party. Additionally aggravating is his criminal past, as he had been previously convicted for illegal drug production and trafficking.
The court considered as mitigating circumstances that the accused is a father of three, that he himself was seriously injured, and that he expressed regret. Aggravating factors included the death of one person, serious injuries to the wife and child, lack of apology and contact with the family, and his prior convictions for unauthorized drug production and trafficking.
