Car driver killed by noise protection panel – new trial

The trial surrounding the death of a female driver caused by a noise barrier on the A3 began again on Monday (9.15 a.m.) in the Cologne Regional Court. The defense successfully lodged an objection to the dismissal of a lay judge. The Higher Regional Court (OLG) then ordered the trial to begin again with other lay judges. The original trial had begun in mid-August.

In November 2020, the driver was killed in her small car by a concrete slab weighing several tons that had come loose from the soundproofing wall. The public prosecutor’s office is convinced that botched construction was the cause of the accident.

A 62-year-old engineer from the construction company responsible at the time is accused of manslaughter through negligence. Two former employees of the State Roads Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, each aged 59, are accused of negligent homicide through negligence. The trial is scheduled for the end of the year.