A driver under the influence of methadone who hit a teenager has been sentenced to imprisonment.
Following a public prosecution by prosecutors from the Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office, a 37-year-old man from Lviv was found guilty of violating traffic safety rules while driving a vehicle under the influence of medication. He was sentenced to 4 years and 5 months of imprisonment along with a 5-year driving ban.
Prosecutors proved in court that in August 2023, the defendant caused an accident on the ‘Lviv-Sambir’ highway while operating a vehicle under the influence of medications that impair attention and reaction time. Specifically, it involved the narcotic drug ‘methadone,’ which he was receiving as part of a substitute maintenance therapy program.
It was established that the man steered the right side of a ‘Volkswagen Crafter’ van onto the roadside and collided with a minor cyclist who was traveling in the same direction. As a result of the accident, a 13-year-old boy was injured, sustaining multiple severe injuries. He was taken to a medical facility.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the investigators of Police Department No. 3 of Lviv District Police Division No. 2 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast. The court’s verdict comes into legal force upon the expiration of the appeal period.