Driver from India Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Serious Crash at Apšupe Intersection
A Latvian court sentenced a truck driver, an Indian citizen, to six years in prison over a collision with a bus in Dobele municipality. The bus driver was seriously injured and lost both legs.
A court in Latvia has sentenced a truck driver, an Indian citizen born in 1990, to six years in prison over a serious road accident at the Apšupe intersection in Jaunbērze parish, Dobele municipality. The crash happened in February 2026 and left three people injured.
How the crash happened
According to the charges, the man was driving a Volvo truck with a semi-trailer on an icy road in the dark. At the intersection he ignored a warning sign, did not reduce speed or stop, and continued across at about 50 km/h. He collided with a passenger bus travelling toward Liepāja.
One bus passenger suffered moderate injuries. Another passenger and the bus driver were seriously injured, and the driver had both legs amputated.
Changes to the charges
Prosecutors had initially also accused him of buying and using a forged United Arab Emirates driving licence. The prosecutor later dropped that charge because a document technical expertise report concluded that the original content of the licence issued in the Emirates had not been altered and that it possibly matched the set specimen. The defendant fully admitted guilt regarding the circumstances of the accident, but denied the charge that he had no right to drive a vehicle.
Compensation
The court partly granted the victims' claims for non-material damage: one victim was awarded 30,000 euros and another 60,000 euros, while no compensation was awarded for the remainder. Together, the victims had demanded 150,000 euros. One victim dropped the claim because she had already received payment under the compulsory motor third-party liability insurance law.
Parties to the case can appeal the verdict within ten working days from the day the full judgment becomes available.
