Process start: tragic end of an illegal car race in FFO

Process start: tragic end of an illegal car race in FFO

This day, June 23, 2025, the trial against a 28-year-old man from Berlin began at the district court in Frankfurt (Oder). He is accused of an illegal car racing that led to a fatal accident in January 2024, in which the couple Roland Rother (79) and Rita Rother (76) from Wilmersdorf (Oder-Spree) lost their lives. RBB24 reports that the man on 2nd January 2024 at 11:45 a.m. with a made Mercedes sports car on the L384 at a speed of about 100 km/h was. At an intersection between Wilmersdorf and Alt Madlitz, he disregarded the couple's right of way, which was immediately killed by the collision.

The indictment accuses the driver of violations of Section 315c of the Criminal Code, which includes the endangerment of road traffic and a prohibited motor vehicle race with death. On the first day of the trial, four witnesses and an expert are invited to hear. A total of four trial days are scheduled and the judgment is expected for July 22, 2025.

fatal accidents from illegal car racing

This current case is not isolated. In the past, there are already several tragic accidents related to illegal car races. For example, two defendants were convicted by the Frankfurt district court for a fatal accident on Autobahn 66 near Hofheim. This accident occurred in October 2020 during a alleged illegal car race, in which a 71-year-old woman died when her car opened on fire. The 38-year-old received a prison sentence of two years and five months, while the 30-year-old was sentenced to a probation penalty of one year. [Hessenschau] (https://www.hessenschau.de/panorama/hafstrafe-und-gewaerächt-fuer- after--to-To-Autoren-a66-v2,-raser-100.html) reported that the court decided to make an uninvolved third party, a pastor, to be responsible for the accident.

The increase in such incidents is alarming. According to Spiegel, the police have a significant increase in illegal car racing again and again. This trend represents a serious risk to general traffic safety and arouses the concern of authorities and citizens Alike.

The upcoming process could not only determine the fate of the accused, but also serve as a signal to society, to take the dangers of illegal car racing more seriously.