Prison for driver who hit teens
A 22-year-old driver was given a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence yesterday after being found guilty of running over three schoolchildren, one of whom lost an arm and had his spinal cord severed as a result of the accident in Thessaloniki in October. The unnamed driver apologized for the accident and claimed that one of his tires blew out as he was passing the high school in the Kalamaria district, causing him to swerve and hit the teenagers. However, several witnesses said the car was speeding at the time of the incident. The mother of the most seriously injured teenager, 16-year-old Dimitris Antoniou, said the best her son can hope for is to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The schoolboy has undergone four operations and has had his right arm amputated from the shoulder. He will be flown to Sweden in January for further treatment. The other two schoolboys hit by the car have recovered from their injuries. If the driver appeals yesterday’s ruling, his sentence will be suspended until the appeal is heard.
