A court in Brescia convicted two German men of manslaughter for a fatal boat collision in 2021. An Italian couple out on Lake Garda for a relaxing evening died after their boat was hit by one driven by the Germans.
The court gave a 4 1/2-year sentence to Patrick Kassen, who allegedly was at the helm of the Germans’ motorboat. His companion, Christian Teismann, received a 2 years and 11 months to Christian Teismann, who insisted he was asleep when the fatal boat collision occurred.
Prosecutors alleged the tourists from Munich were drunk and their motorboat slammed into the smaller vessel. Before the trial, Kassen was quoted by Italian media as saying he didn’t realise there was a collision. He has been under house arrest since July.
No money can bring them back
Killed in the crash on June 19, 2021, were two Italians, Umberto Garzarella, 38, and Greta Nedrotti, 25. They had spent part of the evening on short with friends and were aboard a smaller vessel on the lake.
Garzarella was found dead in the boat. Nedrotti’s body was found two days later by firefighting divers searching Lake Garda.
The Germans’ insurers have paid the families nearly €3 million. However, Garzarella’s father said no amount of money would bring his son back.
“Only the two Germans know what happened that night, drunk or not, I cannot judge,” Corriere della Sera quoted Garzaella’s father, after the judgment. “They’ll have their conscience all their life. This sorrow will remain with them as it will remain with me.”
