Motorway Service Station Explosion: Two Staff Members Convicted of Conditional Sentence in Leoben
Two 21-year-olds caused an explosion in June with cleaning and disinfection products in the basement of a motorway restaurant. The Leoben Regional Court convicted both to eight months of conditional imprisonment.
Kitchen staff played with fire in storage room – explosion seriously injured one of them
Two 21-year-old kitchen staff members played with highly flammable cleaning and disinfection products in June at a motorway restaurant in the Leoben district, triggering a violent explosion. According to the Kleine Zeitung, the Leoben Regional Court convicted both defendants to eight months of conditional imprisonment each.
Presiding judge Peter Wilhelm described the verdict as extremely lenient given the facts. "You both had enormous luck. I hope that is clear to you," Wilhelm said to the two defendants.
Explosion in basement, guests on ground floor
The incident occurred in a storage room in the basement of the service station. The two men, who were employed there as kitchen staff, played with a spray for chewing gum removal and a disinfectant in the small, closed room. There followed a sudden bang – a violent explosion that seriously injured one of the two. He suffered second-degree burns on seven per cent of his body.
At the time of the incident, between 30 and 40 guests were on the ground floor of the restaurant. All were evacuated unharmed. "The four staff members also came away unharmed," explained prosecutor Carolin Bauer, head of the Leoben Public Prosecutor's Office.
Convictions for serious property damage and reckless endangerment
Both defendants were convicted of serious property damage and reckless endangerment of the public. One of the two received an additional conviction for reckless assault causing bodily harm. The property damage established amounts to 18,000 euros.
Why they came up with the idea to handle the flammable substances could not be clearly explained by the defendants. When prosecutor Bauer asked whether there had been stress or trouble with their employer, both denied this repeatedly. "No, we were very satisfied," they emphasised. "I don't know why," said one of them when asked about his motives.
Judge: "The whole building could have blown up around your ears"
During the trial, Judge Wilhelm made clear how narrowly a far worse catastrophe had been averted. "The whole building could have blown up around your ears. You would then either have been dead yourselves or you would have faced a murder trial if other staff members or guests had been killed by your actions," Wilhelm said. The defendants nodded.
Until the very end, the two disagreed over primary responsibility: one stated they acted together; the other claimed that igniting the flame was solely the decision of his co-defendant. Only one admitted full guilt, whilst the other saw himself as only "partially" responsible.
After the verdict was announced, both defendants waived their right of appeal. Prosecutor Bauer was satisfied with the verdict.
Source: Kleine Zeitung