Both legs torn off from the knee down… Two elderly couples killed and injured by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel “The families are outraged!” The defendant’s argument overturned in court.

The bereaved family is outraged by your statements in court. Why is that? ……. You need to think.”

On April 19, Judge Keisuke Masuda of the Kyoto District Court sentenced former truck driver Tetsuro Iwase, 42, to two years and eight months in prison (four years is the suggested sentence). The truck driven by Iwase collided with a light wagon, killing and injuring an elderly couple who were in the truck. He was charged with violation of the Automobile Driving Punishment Law (negligent homicide).

The accident occurred at around 1:30 p.m. on September 21 last year. Iwase was asleep at the wheel of his truck on Route 163 in the town of Kasagi, Kyoto Prefecture. The truck’s drive recorder recorded the driver repeatedly meandering and crossing the center line more than 10 times.

About 10 minutes after he began meandering, the truck veered into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with a light wagon car. The driver, Takao Yamamoto, 65, was killed, and his wife, Richiyo, 65, who was a passenger in the car, suffered severe brain damage and was temporarily unconscious.

I feel so dizzy!

The scene was a one-lane road. There was no escape route, and the front end of the light wagon was wrecked beyond recognition. Journalist Mika Yanagihara, who observed the trial, said.

Takao’s legs were torn off from the knees down, and he had multiple internal ruptures. He was moaning for a while, so he probably did not die instantly. The car was so damaged that it took almost two hours to rescue him. I believe he died in agony.”

At the trial, the recordings from the drive recorder attached to the vehicle following the truck driven by Iwase will be shown to the public. The recordings included graphic images and the voice of a driver who was concerned about the truck’s meandering operation.

Iwase’s truck is really dizzy.

Are you okay?　The car in front of us!

What are you doing?

The next moment, “Crash! The next moment, with an impact sound, the truck collided with a light wagon car. After his arrest, Iwase admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, stating that he “knew I was drowsy” and that he was “driving in a bad way. However, …….

Once the trial started, he changed his story. He will seek a suspended sentence, claiming that he ‘did not doze off but does not remember’ and that he ‘was not negligent in driving. I didn’t feel that he was seriously trying to apologize to the bereaved family. The bereaved family members are outraged at the sheer unreasonableness of the situation,” said Mr. Yanagihara.

As mentioned above, the sentence was two years and eight months without work, which was not as long as the requested sentence of four years. Aki Hoshino, the eldest daughter of Takao and Richiyo, made the following comment.

When the defendant was sentenced, he just covered his face and cried, and never apologized to us. I was once again angered that he could only think of himself, even though he had come this far.

Takao and Michiyo had closed their longtime newspaper store in March 2009, and were enjoying their second life together when the tragedy occurred.