Truck driver gets 14 years in prison for fatal accident

Tran Dinh Trung, 35, was found guilty Wednesday of violating road traffic regulations with serious consequences, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail under Vietnam’s Penal Code.

The court deemed his violation "very serious" and deserving of harsh punishment. Trung was ordered to pay compensation of VND700 million ($30,170) for the victims' families.

Tran Dinh Trung is in court in Tay Ninh Province, November 14, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan.

Trung was driving a container truck on National Highway 22 towards the border of Cambodia on June 14 when it suddenly swerved into the opposite lane, slamming into a car carrying five people, killing all of them on the spot.  

The accident took place near the welcome gate of Tay Ninh Province, around 100 km (62 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City.

Tests showed no alcohol or drug in his blood. Trung told police that he'd nodded off to sleep when driving.

Road crashes are a leading cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour. More than 14,000 traffic accidents occurred in the first ten months of this year, killing nearly 6,318 people and injuring over 10,000, according to official statistics.

In September, another truck driver, Luong Van Tam, was jailed for 13 years for a crash that killed eight people on a highway in the northern province of Hai Duong. The indictment said he was high on meth when it happened.