Former major gets 14 months in jail for deadly car crash

Hoang Van Minh, 37, was sentenced by the Military Court of Area 2, Military Zone 5 in central Khanh Hoa Province’s Nha Trang City for traffic violations. He was also ordered to compensate the girl’s parents VND245 million (US$10,094).

The judge panel said Minh played the main role in a crash on June 28, 2022, where he made a turn with his car while using his mobile phone, colliding with a 12th grader on a motorbike coming up from behind.

He was driving a seven-seat car carrying his wife and uncle in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The car collided with Ho Hoang Anh’s motorbike, causing her to be flung off the vehicle and hit her head on the road.

He and his wife stepped down to check on the victim and brought her to hospital but the girl later succumbed to head trauma.

To avoid damage to his position and his unit, Minh asked his uncle to take the blame for him by pretending to be the car’s driver, and his wife to support that lie. But investigators exposed the truth later and the judge panel said Minh’s deceiving effort tainted the image of a soldier.

Minh’s wife and uncle were not charged as their violation was deemed not serious.

The court said that the victim did not have a driving license, was not old enough to drive the motorbike and did not maintain proper speed and distance from other vehicles. However, these were all administrative violations, it noted.