It’s every parent’s nightmare: you find your child lifeless. When a father from Siegen finds himself in such a situation, he rushes to the emergency room and is flashed. Now he has to give up his driver’s license.

When a 32-year-old comes home, he finds his two-year-old daughter dead. Since neither he nor his wife speak German, he grabs his car keys instead of calling an ambulance. On the way to the hospital, he is stopped by two police officers because he is not wearing a seat belt. However, the officials recognize the precarious situation and continue to help the man and his daughter.

“Apparently, this had to be treated medically as quickly as possible, so they were escorted to the children’s clinic in a civilian car, where the child was immediately taken to the emergency room,” says an excerpt from the log available to the Siegener Zeitung.

fine and driving ban

Despite the understanding police officers, the journey has consequences for the man. Because both the police car and the father are flashed by a speed trap. At this point, the father’s car with the collapsed child is traveling at 82 km/h.

The incident happened on January 18, 2022. A month later, the family received the mail: it imposed a fine of 348.50 euros on the father of the family and a one-month driving ban.

Judge: The father’s precarious situation is not an exceptional situation

The 32-year-old defended himself against the punishment and the case ended up before the district court of Siegen. At a hearing last Wednesday, Judge Dr. Paul Sprenger according to the “Siegener Zeitung”: “He should have called an ambulance, we have a functioning system in Germany.”

For the judge, the man’s situation does not represent an exceptional situation in which traffic rules can theoretically be violated with impunity. Such an exception is always given “if life and limb are affected, then you can think about it,” says legal expert Nicole Mutschke to RTL.

“You can make a trip like that, but you can’t expect to be acquitted.”

However, this is not unrestricted. Before that, you have to have exhausted all available means – such as calling an ambulance. Only then does the so-called state of emergency apply, according to Mutschke.

The fact that the man does not speak German does not justify that he is allowed to drive too fast. According to Sprenger, he should have driven to the clinic within the speed limit or looked for someone who could have called the ambulance for him. “You can make such a trip, but you can’t expect to be acquitted,” says the judge. In addition, according to him, the child could have been treated much faster with an ambulance.

No apologies from the man

Although the judge reduced the fine to 260 euros, he continued to adhere to the fine. According to RTL, it was also possible to increase the fine and waive the driving ban. However, the judge lacks an apology from the 32-year-old. Nothing is known about the current state of health of the child.

Sources: Siegener Zeitung, Mutschke / RTL, RTL