In Köping, a man in his 30s drove into a woman in her 70s on a crosswalk on December 26, 2024, killing her. Västmanland District Court established that he caused the collision but acquitted him of all charges, finding he was affected by a serious mental disorder and could not have been aware of the danger when driving at high speed through central Köping. According to SVT Västmanland, the man denied the act and claimed he remembers nothing from that day.
He was also not required to pay damages to the deceased woman's relatives. In Sollentuna, a man in his 80s was acquitted of gross negligence after driving the wrong way on the E4 and Norrvikenleden, forcing himself and oncoming vehicles to swerve. The prosecutor argued he caused the dangerous situation by taking a conscious risk or seriously lacking attention.
According to Mitti, the man admitted to the act, saying he 'ended up wrong' and was a bit stressed. Attunda District Court acquitted him, stating it could not be ruled out that he made a misjudgment due to lack of ability, and thus it was not beyond reasonable doubt that he engaged in conscious risk-taking. A police officer on the scene perceived the man as confused, repeating himself, and not understanding where the car keys were.
In the UK, Fiona Hodge is on trial at Bristol Crown Court for causing death by careless driving after her car mounted a kerb on a flyover on June 9, 2024, killing pedestrian Diana Crossman. Hodge pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming she was suffering an epileptic seizure. The prosecution suggested the crash was more likely a result of careless driving.
uk, a witness driving behind Hodge described her driving as erratic, but two friends travelling with her deny any problem. Hodge was unaware she had epilepsy but has since been diagnosed. The trial's outcome remains pending.
In contrast, drivers who ignored medical warnings about epilepsy have been convicted. In Ontario, Fakhreddin Noureddin was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death after his car swerved into an oncoming lane and struck jogger Hendrikas Welten in 2019. Noureddin suffered a dyscognitive epileptic seizure while driving.
His neurologist had warned him not to drive for three months and to seek medical clearance, but he continued. Justice Legault ruled that Noureddin appreciated the risk of losing physical ability due to epilepsy and that his decision to drive was a marked departure from reasonable conduct. In the UK, Jamie White was convicted of two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after a crash in December 2018.
The accused man denied the crime, saying several people were shooting at the same time.
Prosecutors said paramedics warned him four months earlier not to drive for a year after a suspected epileptic fit. uk, White claimed he did not have a fit but had a nightmare, and he was frustrated that paramedics and police did not believe him. Experts for both sides agreed the crash was most likely caused by a fit.
The judge said White ignored wise advice and knew he should not drive for 12 months after a seizure, and his decision to continue driving had fatal consequences. Other cases highlight inconsistent outcomes based on evidence interpretation. A man photographed by a speed camera driving 59 and 56 km/h on a 50 km/h road confessed and was identified by colleagues, but Luleå District Court acquitted him.
In another case, a police officer believed he saw a driver holding a mobile phone, but the driver claimed it was only a phone case, and Linköping District Court acquitted him. Meanwhile, a pedestrian without reflectors was charged with negligence after two trucks collided when he walked on a dark road, with the prosecutor citing his lack of visibility as the cause. The man confessed, but police note that not wearing reflectors is not itself a crime.
Police recommend using reflectors when it is dark, with Olle Älveroth stating it is best to have them low on the legs and arms for visibility. In a rocket war incident on New Year's Eve 2024 in Askersund, a man was hit by a rocket that got stuck in his jacket and exploded, causing permanent scars. The injured man demanded damages, but Örebro District Court acquitted the accused because it could not be proven he fired the specific rocket.
According to SVT Örebro, the accused man denied the crime, saying several people were shooting at the same time. 5 per mille blood alcohol was acquitted of gross drunk driving. According to Expressen, she claimed she drank alcohol after the accident and was in the ditch for over four hours before police arrived.
The district court stated it could not determine when the accident occurred, so it could not be established she drove drunk. Similarly, a man convicted of drunk driving was acquitted by the Court of Appeal after presenting a neurologist's statement that he is a sleepwalker, despite not mentioning it at arrest. The court considered it not beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to drive drunk.
A 45-year-old man in the Stockholm area had his driving license revoked but was stopped driving three times in one day. According to SVT Nyheter, he claimed the car was self-driving and he only entered the address. According to Feber, he said he could have sat in the back seat but chose the driver's seat to control the music.
The district court convicted him of three counts of gross unauthorized driving and fined him 5,000 kronor, ruling that his level of control did not matter. His car was also confiscated.