Driver who caused a serious traffic accident in Nghe An received a 6-year prison sentence
The truck driver, Vu Van Hao, crashed into a house, killing two adults and four children. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. The defendant later appealed for a reduced sentence.
On September 22, at the People's Court of Nghe An province, the Hanoi High People's Court opened an appeal trial of defendant Vu Van Hao (43 years old, from Nam Dinh), residing in Tuong Duong commune, Nghe An, for the crime of "Violating regulations on road traffic participation". The trial was opened due to the defendant's appeal.
According to the case file, Hao has a Class C driver's license. On January 12, 2025, he drove a truck from the old Tuong Duong district to the old Ky Son to buy dong leaves to sell.
At around 5:00 p.m. the same day, while passing through Provincial Road 543D (section Tham Hin village, Nam Can commune, Ky Son district (old)), Hao drove the car downhill but did not shift into low gear to ensure technical safety. The driver left the car in neutral mode, released the handbrake, causing the car to drift freely and speed up due to the steep road and sharp turns.
The investigation agency determined that Hao could not control his speed and could not handle the situation in time, so the car crossed into the opposite lane and crashed straight into the house of Mr. Va Ba D. (29 years old). At that time, in the house were Mr. D.'s mother, sister-in-law and children aged 3 to 8.
As a result, Mr. D.’s mother and sister-in-law, along with four grandchildren (children of his brother and younger brother) died on the spot. Many properties in the house were damaged by the car. After causing the accident, Hao turned himself in to the police.
At the first instance trial held in June 2025, the defendant testified that when he saw the car speeding, he tried to shift gears and brake but to no avail. Seeing the car heading towards the house on the left side of the road, the defendant tried to turn the wheel to the right to crash into the cliff but was unsuccessful.
The defendant expressed remorse for his crimes and apologized to the victims’ families. The court of first instance sentenced the defendant to 8 years in prison. Vu Van Hao later appealed for a reduced sentence.
At the appeal hearing, the defendant admitted his crime and expressed remorse. He explained that his family situation was difficult, his parents had passed away, and his wife was raising four children alone. Recently, his family suffered heavy damage due to storm No. 6.
After causing the accident, the defendant influenced the victims’ families to compensate 1.5 billion VND. The victims filed a petition to reduce the defendant’s sentence.
After reviewing the circumstances presented by defendant Vu Van Hao, the appellate court accepted the appeal and revised the first instance sentence from 8 years to 6 years in prison for the crime of "Violating regulations on road traffic participation".