Trial opens over fatal Lækjargata crash
Thursday 8th October 2026 on 11:16 in
Iceland
The main hearing has begun in a manslaughter case against a man accused of causing a fatal crash in central Reykjavik while driving a telehandler under the influence of sedative drugs, mbl.is reported.
The crash happened in September 2023. The man is accused of driving the telehandler along Lækjargata, near Vonarstræti, with its forks about 70 centimetres above the ground. The indictment alleges that he was under the influence of sedatives and unable to operate the machine safely.
According to the indictment, he failed to pay sufficient attention and struck a van turning from Vonarstræti onto Lækjargata. The telehandler’s forks pierced the van, killing a man in his 30s instantly. Diazepam and nordiazepam were detected in the defendant’s blood.
A report by the Icelandic Transportation Accident Investigation Board identified the van driver’s impairment by narcotics as the main cause of the crash. It also cited the driver’s failure to yield and the van’s movement into the path of the telehandler.
The case is being prosecuted by the District Prosecutor of the Capital Region. The man who died left a wife and three children, who are seeking a total of 28 million krónur in compensation for pain and suffering.