Lyon court sentences ambulance driver for fatal 2022 scooter collision

A Lyon criminal court has sentenced a 40-year-old ambulance driver to one year of firm imprisonment for the 2022 deaths of two teenagers, Iris (15) and Warren (17). The driver was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter involving a “manifestly deliberate violation of a safety or prudence obligation” after striking the teenagers while they were riding an electric scooter on a lane reserved for buses and non-registered two-wheelers.

The court ruled that the driver performed a dangerous overtaking maneuver. In addition to the prison sentence, which may be served at home under electronic monitoring, the defendant received four years of suspended probation. He is also banned from driving for seven years and is permanently prohibited from practicing his profession as an ambulance driver.

The sentence was lighter than the prosecutor's recommendation of one year of firm imprisonment and three years suspended, along with a ten-year driving ban. The families of the victims expressed anger following the verdict, describing the sentence as light and calling for stricter penalties for what is now legally categorized as “road homicide.”