Found his mother dead in the snow after sick leave - Three defendants deny crime

During the heavy snowstorms in early February last year, an elderly woman with sick taxi went to her home in Kramfors municipality. She was released from outside her home but was unable to get into the house. The question of the taxi company's responsibility is now being tried in Ångermanland district court.

Chamber Prosecutor Marlene Forsman has charged three people for causing danger to another. It is the taxi driver who let go of the woman, the place manager at the taxi company and the chairman of the taxi company. The prosecutor is seeking a company fine, not less than SEK 700,000, since the person responsible for the company has not done what is necessary to prevent the crime. The defense is contested by the defense.

The prosecutor believes that the taxi company has an agreement that states that the driver should pick up and leave the passenger at the door. In this case, the taxi driver should have put the woman at risk of life when he dropped her 40 meters from the front door. There was a lot of snow on the ground, it was dark on the spot and it was unpaved.

In the morning, the taxi driver was heard refusing a crime. He says he was not grossly negligent and said he asked if the woman wanted help at the door. She declined the offer of help. He also thinks that it was no longer snowing when he left her.

The Prosecutor believes that the site manager was responsible for the drivers' training. She further believes that the chair is responsible for the organization and if responsibility is delegated, the chair must ensure that it is fulfilled. All have failed in their roles, she believes.

The headmaster refuses a crime. He believes that there are routines around information for staff. The chairman also denies the crime and believes that he does not participate in daily operations.

Part of the prosecutor's evidence concerns the weather conditions that prevailed on the fateful day. According to her, SMHI's figures say that the snow depth was 149 centimeters in the morning, it then continued to snow throughout the day and also some during the evening. At 16.00, the snow depth was 163 centimeters. The defense questions these figures.

When the woman's son takes a seat in the witness box, he says that he had contact with his mother at 15.36. She was on her way home. The taxi ride ended at 16.35. When the son the next day had no contact with the mother, he went to her. He found her deceased with his sticks in his hands. The amount of snow closest to the door was 140 centimeters and nothing indicated that the woman was inside the house.

The distance from the road to where the woman was found is 26 meters. The distance to the front door was 15 meters.

The woman was seriously ill and the forensic examination cannot be used as evidence that she died of a cold. However, it cannot be ignored that the chilly weather may have affected the death.

The woman's medical condition is the driver's burden, says the lawyer. The question, according to him, is how the driver perceived her condition. According to the forensic doctor, the woman could have died even if someone had followed the woman into the house, but he points out that there is speculation.

The defense shows pictures from the woman's house and wants to claim that some of the snow on the ground has fallen from the roof. The driver's defender believes that the woman has not died due to any crime.

SVT Västernorrland continues to monitor the trial during the day.