Driver gets suspended sentence for fatal crash in Mýrdal

A foreign man has received a six-month suspended prison sentence for causing a fatal crash on Suðurlandsvegur in Mýrdal in June, mbl.is reported. He has also been banned from driving for six months.

The crash happened on Saturday, June 20, as the man was driving east and turning left onto Kerlingardalsvegur, a road in Mýrdal. A court found that he was unable to drive safely because of sleep deprivation. He turned into the path of an oncoming motorcycle, which struck his car head-on.

The motorcyclist was thrown from the bike and off the road. He died at the scene almost immediately from serious injuries.

The driver was charged with criminal and traffic offences, including negligent homicide. He fully admitted the conduct alleged when the case was brought before the court. The judge found no reason to doubt that his admission was truthful.

The six-month prison sentence was suspended in light of the circumstances and his full admission. It will lapse after two years if he complies with the conditions of probation.

The deceased man’s relatives sought compensation, including a claim of more than 41.4 million krónur and two separate claims of three million krónur each for non-financial damages. The driver accepted liability but disputed the amounts as excessive. The judge referred the compensation claims to separate civil proceedings.

The man was also ordered to pay more than 2.2 million krónur in legal costs and over 1.2 million krónur in defence fees.