MOSCOW, May 22 (RAPSI) - A drunk driver who crashed into a bus stop in Moscow killing two adults and five teenagers was sentenced to eight and a half years in a medium-security prison on Wednesday.
The car, driven by 29-year-old Alexander Maximov crashed into the bus stop last September after he exceeded the speed limit and lost control. Five teenagers aged between 15 and 17 from an orphanage for disabled children, their teacher and her husband were killed in the smash.
Tests revealed that Maximov had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.278 percent (2.78 per-mil), an amount which causes very serious intoxication in most adults and is almost three-quarters of the medically accepted lethal dose for half of adult humans. Tests also revealed traces of marijuana in his blood.
The court partially upheld civil lawsuits filed by relatives of the two adult victims and fined Maximov a total of 3 million rubles (about $96,000).
The court ruled that a separate lawsuit for compensation of 50 million rubles ($1.6 million), filed by the orphanage, should be heard in a civil process.
The orphanage said it would appeal the verdict, seeking a nine-year prison term for Maximov in addition to financial compensation.
Maximov's defense team also stated its intent to appeal, saying he should serve his sentence in a penal settlement, a low-security penitentiary in which inmates are allowed to walk free around the premises and leave with permission.
