04 July 2011, 17:02 Society

Snowplow driver sentenced to two years probation for killing woman

In St. Petersburg, a sentence was passed on the driver of a snow blower who, through negligence, due to giant snowdrifts, ran over the famous Russian cardiologist Irina Ganelina. The driver received two years probation. Now relatives want to punish Smolny, which is responsible for poor snow removal: a second lawsuit has been filed against the city improvement committee. So far, only ordinary workers - housing and communal services employees and drivers of special equipment - have paid for the tragedies of last winter.

On Monday, the defendant - driver Maxim Knyazev - was given the last word.
“I am guilty before you and, as far as possible, I ask you to forgive me,” said Knyazev , addressing Ganelina’s relatives, “By asking to commute my sentence, you gave me an example of real restraint, thank you for your understanding and forgive me again.”

After this, judge Elena Ziganshina retired to the deliberation room. It took her very little time to write the solution. The court found Knyazev guilty “of violating safety rules when conducting mining, construction or other work, resulting in the death of a person through negligence” (Article 216, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). However, he took into account mitigating circumstances: Knyazev had not been previously convicted, has a good record of work, fully admitted his guilt, and asked for forgiveness from the relatives of the deceased. As a result, the driver was sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment.

Let us note that the most severe measure under this article provides for up to 5 years of imprisonment with loss of professional rights for up to 3 years. However, during the debate, the prosecutor asked for 2 years of probation, without deprivation of rights. Ganelina’s relatives also did not seek revenge and asked that Knyazev be given a minimum sentence. After the verdict, the family of the deceased and the convict stated that they were satisfied with the verdict and would not file an appeal. “I’m not going to appeal the verdict,” Maxim Knyazev told Gazeta.Ru. “The punishment imposed on Knyazev suits us,” said Ganelina’s grandson, Daniel Lurie , “But other people are also guilty who did not clear the city of snow at all.”

“Knyazev’s punishment is not the main thing for the victims,” said Oleg Derviz, a lawyer for Ganelina’s relatives. “They consider him the last in the chain of those responsible for what happened.”

The first in this chain, according to the injured party, are officials from the Committee for the Improvement of the Government of St. Petersburg . Ganelina's relatives have already filed a lawsuit against the committee. It will be reviewed on July 11. This is a civil matter. The relatives of the deceased believe that the committee is directly responsible for the tragedy, since it did not organize the cleaning of the streets last winter in the required manner. That is why Ganelina had to go out onto the roadway - the sidewalks were covered with snow.

The famous cardiologist, professor, creator of national cardiac resuscitation Irina Ganelina died under the wheels of a snow blower on December 15, 2010. The accident occurred around 11 am, near house number 50 on Lenin Street (Petrogradskaya side). The woman stepped off the sidewalk onto the road to get around the snowdrifts. She was hit by a backhoe loader moving in reverse. At the wheel was 43-year-old Maxim Knyazev, driver of Nevsky Potential LLC. The injuries turned out to be incompatible with life. 89-year-old Ganelina died on the spot. Authorities responded to the incident by saying an investigation would identify those responsible. The public tended to blame utilities for the tragedy. Many responses to the death of a famous St. Petersburg doctor appeared on blogs, saying that winter St. Petersburg had become deadly for residents. The St. Petersburg department of the Investigative Committee accused driver Maxim Knyazev of violating safety requirements when loading snow into dump trucks while driving a Volvo backhoe loader.

Let us recall that on June 20, 2011, the Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg sentenced garbage truck driver Alexander Maklakov to 3 years and 2 months probation. He committed a similar crime on the same day, December 15, 2010. In the courtyard of a house on Bolshevikov Avenue, 56-year-old Maklakov , driving a KAMAZ, was turning right. Ahead, a woman was pulling a sled with a small child. The driver hit the sled with the right rear wheel. The two-year-old girl died on the spot. At the trial, Maklakov repented and fully admitted his guilt. It was taken into account that he had positive characteristics from his place of work, he had been driving for 38 years, and his name appeared in the almanac “Golden Fund of St. Petersburg Professionals.”

After the death of a pensioner and a two-year-old girl, the St. Petersburg public accused the city authorities of criminal inaction, which resulted in human casualties. In particular, actor Mikhail Trukhin called on Matvienko to “open the armored glass of the car and look into the eyes of the relatives of the victims.” In the city littered with snow and ice, they even collected signatures for the resignation of the governor. Smolny cited an “abnormal winter,” record amounts of “precipitation,” and “poor quality work by contractors.” Not a single high-ranking official was fired or punished. Ordinary employees—housing services technicians and drivers—had to answer in court for the tragedies of the St. Petersburg winter of 2010.

Snowplow driver sentenced to two years probation for killing woman - Gazeta.Ru