Kharkiv drivers get 10 years in prison for accident that killed 6 people

Two drivers that have been involved in a horrific car accident, which shook the country over a year ago, have finally received a verdict.

Both Olena Zaitseva and Hennadiy Dronov were found guilty and each sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv.

Zaitseva earlier pleaded guilty, while Dronov denies the accusations.

The car accident took place on Oct. 18, 2017, in Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million people located about 480 kilometers east of Kyiv.

Zaitseva, then a 20-year-old student from Kharkiv, was driving through a red light at high speed in a luxury Lexus RX350 in the Kharkiv city center when she hit Dronov’s Volkswagen Touareg on a road junction as her car then plowed into a crowd of pedestrians on a sidewalk. Dronov was allegedly driving through a yellow light when Zaitseva hit his car.

The road accident killed five people immediately, and one heavily injured person died shortly after.

According to Anton Herashchenko, an advisor to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Zaitseva was driving at 100 kilometers per hour when she drove through the red light.

The accident sparked public outrage as six people have been killed. In addition, it turned out to be another case of reckless driving of a Ukrainian rich kid.

Zaitseva is the adopted daughter of Vasyl Zaitsev, a prominent Kharkiv businessman, and CEO of the Ukrenergochormet company.

Right after the accident, an initial examination revealed evidence that Zaitseva was driving under the influence of opiates when she hit the crowd. However, a re-examination revealed an opposite outcome.

Zaitseva was arrested on Oct. 20 with no right for bail, while Dronov, a middle-aged entrepreneur, at first was a witness in the case, but two weeks after the accident became a suspect.

Both drivers have reportedly been involved in car accidents earlier.

The court hearings on the matter have been held for over a year.

On Feb. 26, a Kharkiv court found both Zaitseva and Dronov guilty.

As a result, both drivers were sentenced to the harshest possible punishment for the violation of traffic safety rules that caused the deaths of several people.

The drivers are also banned to drive vehicles for three years.

They will also have to pay the total of Hr 8.4 million ($312,000) in compensation for moral and material damage to the victims and the relatives of the victims.