Prison for Causing Death by Reckless Riding

The Provincial Court of Valencia has been sentenced two individuals found responsible for the death of a 15-year old girl in a motorbike crash to a total of three and a half years in prison for causing her death.

The incident occurred in 2007 in the town of Cheste during the celebrations of the Grand Prix. The two people who caused the death were riding motorbikes at the time and performing moves such as “wheelies”, and driving towards each other. One of the riders, who was 23 at the time, did not hold a driving licence.

During one of these stunts, the riders collided head-on resulting in the girl, who was riding on the back, falling off the motorbike and hitting her head on the ground. This injury resulted in her death. The riders were not wearing crash helmets.

The Court confirmed the sentence passed by the judge of the Criminal Court of Valencia, Enrique Ortolá, which saw both riders responsible for crimes of reckless driving, reckless homicide and causing injuries.

One of those responsible received a two year prison sentence, the other a year and a half, and should compensate the parents of the deceased with 113,682 euro.

The town hall were also asked to give evidence that they had adequate procedures in place to prevent the tragedy, stating that performing such stunts is prohibited in the municipality and they provided more police during the event.