The staggering story of the “dangerous drunk driver” who killed and injured five children.

“Four to five years ago, I began to smell alcohol on the defendant when we met at work.

“Last summer, I called the defendant’s place of employment and warned him that he smelled of alcohol and asked if he was okay.

When the prosecutor read out the statement, the courtroom erupted in surprise.

On October 6, the Chiba District Court held the first trial of a case in which five children were struck by a large truck and killed or injured. The defendant, Hiroshi Umezawa (60), a former driver of the truck, was accused of violating the Automobile Accident Compensation Act (dangerous driving causing death or injury). On the afternoon of June 28 this year, Umezawa was on his way back to his workplace in Yachimata City, Chiba Prefecture after unloading materials in Tokyo when he caused the accident. He crashed into a line of five elementary school children, killing two and leaving three in a critical condition.

“Kumazawa entered the courtroom with short, gray hair and wearing a dark jacket. He appeared to be relatively calm. At his arraignment, he answered in a clear tone, “I don’t think there are any mistakes. When the prosecutor read out the indictment, he listened intently with his head down,” said a reporter from a national newspaper.

Shochu at a parking area: ……

What was revealed in the opening statement was the stupefying whole story of the day of the accident.

After finishing his work, Umezawa stopped at a convenience store in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, on his way home. He purchased 220 milliliters of shochu (distilled spirits) with an alcohol content of 20 percent. When Umezawa entered the Makuhari Parking Area on the Keiyo Highway off-ramp, he had lunch and drank all of the shochu. ……

“According to the indictment, Umezawa was at the Makuhari Parking Area for about 30 minutes. According to the indictment, Umezawa was at the Makuhari parking area for about 30 minutes, and after drinking he resumed driving, but the truck was swinging wildly from side to side and flashing its directional indicator.

About 120 meters before the accident site, he went into a nap due to the effects of alcohol. He proceeded diagonally forward at a speed of about 56 km/h and hit a utility pole while derailing into a field beside the road. In the meantime, he hit schoolchildren who were walking in front of him one after another.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Umezawa was about 200 meters from the scene of the accident when he said, “I don’t remember anything from here.

“Immediately after the accident, Umezawa told the police that he had dodged a person jumping out of the way. However, the security camera did not show any people or animals coming out in front of the truck. Umezawa was often warned by his employer about his drinking, but he ignored the warnings and continued to drive dangerously. The prosecutor’s office also introduced the testimony of a colleague who said, “I once saw (Umezawa) fall asleep after drinking.

After the trial, the bereaved family of the victim child commented through their lawyer, “The trial has just started, so we will watch how it goes. The next hearing is scheduled for November 15, when the witnesses and the accused will be questioned.