Andijan Driver Sentenced After Child Dies in Crash
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Criminal Court of Khojaabad district in Uzbekistan's Andijan region has sentenced a woman who was driving a Chevrolet Tracker carrying 21 children to a private kindergarten after a road accident that claimed the life of a six-year-old girl.
According to court materials, the accident occurred on 21 February on the Khojaabad–Babur highway. Investigators said the 40-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle after being startled by a car overtaking her.
The vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a concrete lighting pole.
At the time of the accident, 21 children were travelling in the passenger compartment and luggage compartment of the vehicle. Eight children sustained injuries of varying severity. A six-year-old girl, who suffered severe injuries, was taken to an intensive care unit, where she died four days later.
During the trial, the defendant fully admitted her guilt, expressed remorse and said she had transported some of the children in the luggage compartment because there were not enough seats. She also told the court that she had a Group II disability and asked for a more lenient sentence.
The court found the woman guilty under Part 2 of Article 266 of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code and sentenced her to three years of restricted liberty. She was also banned from driving for two years.
