In the trial after the death drive on Berlin’s Ku’damm, one of the most seriously injured victims reported on the consequences for those affected. “I had to relearn everything,” said the teacher from Hesse on Friday before the Berlin district court. The 56-year-old was hit by the car on June 8, 2022 and critically injured. Among other things, he suffered a broken collarbone and pelvis. At the time, the teacher was visiting Berlin with a school class from Bad Arolsen. The driver drove into the group first. The 51-year-old class teacher died at the scene, the teacher and eleven students were injured.
The group went to Breitscheidplatz to talk about the Islamist attack in 2016 that left 13 dead and around 70 injured. At that moment, the car steered towards them from behind at excessive speed. The teacher died at the scene of the accident. “It’s a coincidence that I’m still here and she’s not,” her colleague told the court in a broken voice.
According to his own statements, the 56-year-old is still in psychological care today. He offered himself as a speaker for the students. The cohesion among those affected and the whole school is great, he describes. “There’s still a long way to go to process this,” he said. This applies to everyone involved, the teacher explained.
A 29-year-old is accused in the process. The public prosecutor accuses him of murder and attempted murder as well as dangerous bodily harm. On that day in June 2022, the man is said to have driven a car on Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzienstrasse on purpose into pedestrian groups. He was aware that there could be fatalities. The allegation is that he accepted this with approval.
The German-Armenian has been housed in a forensic hospital since the death trip. In a so-called security procedure, the public prosecutor’s office is seeking his accommodation in a psychiatric hospital. The trial is scheduled to resume on February 20. (dpa)
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