Skopje court upholds prison sentence for fatal pedestrian accident

The Appellate Court has upheld a sentence of two years and six months in prison for Gordana Filipovik regarding a 2022 fatal traffic accident in Skopje. The incident occurred near the Goce Delchev Bridge, opposite the Macedonian National Theatre, resulting in the death of 76-year-old pedestrian Slobodan Angelovski.

The court rejected appeals from both the defense and the prosecution, the latter of which had sought a harsher sentence. According to the court's findings, Filipovik was driving at 54.4 km/h in a 50 km/h zone through heavy traffic. A critical factor in the ruling was her failure to slow down upon approaching a marked pedestrian crossing; while vehicles in adjacent lanes had already stopped, Filipovik bypassed a stopped vehicle in the middle lane and continued into the third lane.

The court determined that the stopped vehicles in neighboring lanes served as a clear signal that a pedestrian was present at the crossing. This case had previously undergone a retrial after an initial three-year sentence was overturned.