Accused after accident with souped up El-bike
On a trimmed el-bike, a man in his thirties collided with another bike at high speed on a bike path in Trondheim. In court, the cyclist acknowledged that he should have driven on the road.
In what is probably the first trial in which an El-cyclist is charged with driving a motorized vehicle, the accused acknowledged culpability for gross negligence on Monday, reports NRK.
In the Sør-Trøndelag district court, the accused acknowledged that he collided with another cyclist on a bike path in Trondheim on May 1st, 2017. The man in his thirties drove an electric bike that was souped up far beyond what is allowed on a bike path in Norway. .
He admitted that he should have driven on the road and not on the bike path where he collided.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has investigated the bicycle and found that it has an effect equivalent to 7.6 hp. They have estimated that the top speed of the vehicle is 108 kilometres per hour on a straight path.
There was no need to use the pedals to move it, and the electric motor on the bike did not cut of at the statutory 25 kilometres per hour limit.
– This vehicle did not require pedal assistance and as it appeared, it’s not to be considered to be an electric bike. It can also not be classified as a moped, but rather as a light electric motorcycle, says Jens Petter Storrø representing the Trondheim Traffic Station according to Adresseavisen.
In court, the accused stated that he had paid NOK 60,000 for the El-bike on the internet. He claimed he did not know it had a far higher effect than what is legal for an electric bike in Norway, as long as he drove at the lowest effect level.
The woman that the man collided with suffered a fracture in the neck and a concussion.
– He appeared abruptly and I realized that we were about to collide. Then I passed out, the woman said in court.
A witness who drove his car at around 60 km/h on the road also made a statement. The car driver was passed by the electric vehicle and estimated the speed of the El-bike at 80 kilometres per hour.
The prosecutor believes the man should be sentenced to 18 days in jail and loss of license for half a year, in addition to paying the injured woman NOK 75,000 in compensation. Verdict is expected on May 7th.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
