The Kanazawa Provincial Prosecutor's Office drove a passenger car on the Hokuriku Expressway in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, when a three-wheeled vehicle fell while trying to avoid a passenger car that had changed lanes and killed a 76-year-old man who was driving. A 43-year-old man who had been in charge of driving at home was charged with lethal driving, alleging that he had "fluttered" due to intentional Tailgating.
Initially, police sent documents as a fatal accident due to a man's negligence, but the prosecution made an unusual decision to find "road rage" in an investigation that lasted nearly a year and a half.
On May 26, on the Hokuriku Expressway in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a three-wheeled vehicle heading for Fukui Prefecture lost its balance and fell and drove in an attempt to avoid a passenger car that had changed lanes from the right overtaking lane. A 76-year-old man who had died.
Koichi Motomatsu, a 43-year-old employee of Toyama Prefecture who was driving a passenger car, said to the police that he did not notice the three-wheeled vehicle, and the police also confirmed that it was intentional driving. Four months later, I was sending documents on suspicion of fatal accidental driving.
However, after that, as a result of an investigation by the Kanazawa District Public Prosecutor's Office at the request of the bereaved family, dangerous driving fatalities that can impose heavier punishment instead of negligent driving fatalities, even if there was a "fluttering act" due to intentional Tailgating Honmatsu was charged at home on charges of.
In the civil lawsuit over this accident, the bereaved family accepted the settlement by Mr. Motomatsu paying a settlement fee without specifying whether the cause was intentional or negligent.
On the other hand, as a result of conducting on-site verification again and analyzing the drive recorder, the prosecution decided that Mr. Motomatsu turned the steering wheel even though he could see the three-wheeled vehicle from the positional relationship between the two cars, and decided to take the case. You can.
While driving on the road has become a social problem, the prosecution made an unusual decision to find "road rage" in an investigation that lasted nearly a year and a half for a traffic accident that was initially allegedly negligent.
The situation reproduced based on the drive recorder image
On the way back to Osaka by a three-wheeled vehicle, the deceased man was running on the Hokuriku Expressway in a row with a large motorcycle of a touring companion woman.
The woman on the motorcycle who was running behind had a drive recorder attached to her helmet, and the video clearly recorded the situation until the accident.
In November of last year, a video of a drive recorder was played in a civil court in which a male bereaved family sought damages from Motomatsu in the Osaka District Court.
It is the situation at that time reproduced based on the image.
Defendant Motomatsu's white passenger car was initially in the driving lane.
When a male three-wheeled vehicle coming from the overtaking lane tries to overtake from behind, it speeds up and runs side by side for a while.
However, when he approached the black car running in front and was overtaken by a three-wheeled vehicle, immediately after that, he changed lanes to the right so that he could break into the motorcycle of the following woman, and suddenly stepped on the brake in front of the motorcycle. I will.
After that, the passenger car accelerates, and when it approaches the black car in front again, it is placed almost right next to it and continues to run side by side at a speed of about 90 km.
The woman, whose two cars became a wall and couldn't keep up with the three-wheeled vehicle ahead, felt harassed.
The man was worried about "what happened" in the wireless communication using the income, so the woman said that "it seems that the course is being blocked".
The man replied, "I'm also moving to the left, so I'm waiting to catch up," and changed lanes, trying to get the passenger car to go first.
Then the passenger car suddenly speeded up to chase after the three-wheeled vehicle.
Then, when they seemed to be lined up, I suddenly crossed the center line and moved toward the three-wheeled vehicle.
A three-wheeled vehicle trying to avoid contact violently collided with a guardrail on the side of the road, and the man was thrown out.
Defendant Motomatsu's passenger car ran away without stopping.
Defendant's explanation in a civil trial
In November, the bereaved family of the deceased man filed a civil trial in the Osaka District Court seeking damages of more than 86 million yen against his wife, who was on board with Koichi Motomatsu.
On November 10, last year, Defendant Motomatsu went to court and cross-examined witnesses.
According to the testimony, the defendant is a JR West employee who is in charge of repairs and inspections of vehicles.
He was assigned to Kanazawa City alone, and on the day he was heading to the dormitory from his home in Toyama Prefecture with his family.
In an interrogation conducted while watching the video of the drive recorder of the following vehicle in which the whole story of the accident was recorded, Defendant Motomatsu claimed that he was "not intentionally driving dangerously."
He explained the reason for changing lanes that caused the three-wheeled vehicle to fall, "I thought it would be against the law if I continued to drive in the overtaking lane on the highway."
He said, "I changed lanes because I couldn't see the three-wheeled vehicle from my view. I had no intention of obstructing the course or pulling the width." He said that he intended to overtake the three-wheeled vehicle and keep a sufficient distance. I explained.
On the other hand, when I changed lanes, I said that I hadn't seen the door mirrors and rearview mirrors, and when asked why, I answered, "I'm careless."
Also, when asked why the three-wheeled vehicle did not stop immediately after it fell, and after getting off the highway a while later, he called the police, "I saw an object crossing behind. Before that, the three-wheeled vehicle. I thought that I might have caused an accident because I overtook the car. I thought it was dangerous to stop immediately on the highway, so I continued driving, but I was upset and the nearby parking area Has passed. "
Regarding a series of driving, a lawyer on the bereaved family side showed a video and asked, "Do you think it is dangerous driving?", Motomatsu said, "I think it is dangerous driving from an objective point of view, but at that time I didn't think so, "he said. When asked by a lawyer," Is it impossible to judge that it is dangerous to hold the steering wheel? ", He silently answered nothing.
Testimony of a victim's companion in a civil trial
In a civil trial brought by a man's bereaved family, a witness interrogation of a touring fellow woman who was riding a large motorcycle behind a man's three-wheeled vehicle was also conducted.
The woman testified about the situation at that time while checking the video of the drive recorder attached to her helmet.
Regarding the appearance of Mr. Motomatsu's passenger car when the male three-wheeled vehicle first tried to overtake, he said, "I thought that I was mean because I was running side by side for a long time by speeding up so as not to be overtaken." I did.
After that, he changed lanes so that the defendant's car cut in front of the woman and applied the sudden brake. "I also applied the engine brake and foot brake so that I would not hit it. The speed was from about 100 km to about 40 km. I was scared because I thought it would fall and lock the tires. "
After that, when he used the income to contact the man running ahead, he said, "I'm on the left, so I'm waiting to catch up."
And about the situation immediately after that, "When the man changed lanes, the defendant's car speeded up and chased the three-wheeled vehicle, and the man who was pulled up crashed into the guardrail. The defendant's car ran away." I testified to.
Reconciliation with the bereaved family in a civil trial
In November, the bereaved family of the deceased man filed a civil trial in the Osaka District Court seeking damages of more than 86 million yen against his wife, who was on board with Koichi Motomatsu.
At the trial, the bereaved family claimed that "the defendant intentionally made a dangerous move," while the defendant denied intention and demanded that the complaint be dismissed.
According to the bereaved family's lawyer, the court recommended a settlement after the witnesses were cross-examined in November last year.
In the settlement talks, Motomatsu admitted that changing lanes very close to the three-wheeled vehicle caused the death of the man, so the bereaved family settled in late last month without specifying whether it was intentional or negligent. It means that they have accepted the settlement by paying the money.