Lawyer Behind 'Coffins on Wheels' Comment Sentenced. Court Reduces Prison Term

The District Court in Olsztyn has conclusively ended one of the most controversial road accident trials in recent years. Paweł K., a lawyer from Łódź, was found guilty of causing a tragic incident in September 2021 on the Barczewo–Jeziorany route. The collision between a luxury Mercedes driven by the defendant and an older Audi resulted in the deaths of two women, aged 53 and 67. Thursday's appellate court verdict is more lenient than the ruling by the regional court, which had previously sentenced the attorney to two years and four months in prison. The second-instance court reduced this sentence to two years of unconditional imprisonment, deeming it an adequate penalty for the degree of culpability and social harm of the act. The key element that gave this case nationwide notoriety was not the accident itself, but Paweł K.'s behavior immediately afterward. The lawyer posted a video on social media suggesting the victims died because they were traveling in an older car with low safety standards. Using the phrase 'coffin on wheels,' he provoked widespread indignation and drew a wave of criticism from the public and the bar association. During the trial, the defense attempted to prove that the victims may have contributed to the incident. However, experts appointed by the prosecution unequivocally indicated that it was Paweł K.'s Mercedes that crossed the solid line and veered into the opposite lane, giving the Audi driver no chance to avoid the collision. In the Polish legal system, causing a fatal accident is punishable by up to 8 years in prison. However, in cases of significant gravity, such as a gross violation of traffic rules, courts rarely impose suspended sentences. While announcing the verdict, the judge emphasized that the defendant's post-accident attitude, although morally reprehensible and cynical, could not constitute the main premise for a harsher punishment for the traffic offense itself, though it did reflect on the assessment of his character. The victims' families present in the courtroom did not hide their disappointment with the decision to reduce the sentence, stating that no penalty would bring their loved ones back. Attorney Paweł K. must now face not only serving the prison sentence but also further disciplinary consequences within the structures of the bar association, which had already initiated appropriate proceedings against him. The verdict is final, meaning the path for an ordinary appeal is closed, though the parties still retain the right to file a cassation to the Supreme Court. The convicted lawyer will soon receive a summons to report to a penitentiary to serve the imposed two-year prison sentence.