Article updated at 7 p.m.
The 75-year-old man who struck several people at Sortedam Dossering in Copenhagen on Wednesday has been held in custody for an initial period of 13 days.
During a preliminary hearing, a judge at the Copenhagen City Court made this decision.
»You were in a condition where you were not able to operate the vehicle in a fully secure manner,« said the judge, who ordered that he be held in custody.
During the hearing, the man stated that he believed he was capable of driving when he got behind the wheel of his red car on Wednesday afternoon.
»Yes, absolutely. Especially since I have done it so many times before,« the gray-haired man said in court.
However, the prosecutor viewed the situation differently. The man has been charged with negligent bodily harm under particularly aggravating circumstances.
He was driving despite allegedly being unable to do so safely due to illness, frailty, or lack of sleep.
The elderly man himself acknowledged that he has had mobility issues for 10-15 years. His doctor has not told him not to drive, but his daughters have mentioned it.
»It has been brought up a couple of times,« he said in court.
Apparently, this issue had been raised very recently. In court, the prosecutor stated that a police officer at the hospital on Wednesday overheard one of the daughters tell her father that she had warned him not to drive the day before.
The elderly man has had several falling incidents and attends rehabilitation at a fall clinic. He also mentioned in the courtroom that he takes medication, but none of it warns against driving.
The 75-year-old man admitted to driving the car but pleaded not guilty to violating any specific regulations.
»I am as sorry as anyone can be. But I have not violated traffic laws in the sense that I should have considered myself impaired when I got into the car,« the elderly man said.
The man explained that shortly before the accident, he started driving on Sortedam Dossering, but his foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator, causing him to hit some roadwork.
He became ’completely confused’ and lost control of the vehicle.
»It shocked me so much that I lost my composure and reacted in panic, causing me to run over some people,« he said.
Twelve people were injured when the man, in his red car, hit individuals along Sortedam Dossering near the lakes in Copenhagen.
On Wednesday, three people were reported in critical condition. On Thursday, one of them remains in critical condition, according to the police.
During the preliminary hearing, it was revealed that one of the victims, who suffered a skull fracture, is in an induced coma. Another victim, initially reported in critical condition, has broken several bones but is now out of danger.
The prosecutor estimates that the man faces up to two years in prison if he is charged and convicted.
»Despite these warnings, he went ahead anyway,« she said, also referring to the man’s history of falls.
She also mentioned that the man’s doctor was surprised that he was driving.
The 75-year-old man is appealing the decision to the High Court. He is seeking release.
Ritzau
