The penalty for a fatal collision on the 58-hour stretch near Szalánta now hinges on a fraction of a second and the disputed speed of two sports cars, Telex reported. In May 2024, a fatal crash claimed the lives of the driver of a Mercedes and his partner.
During Friday’s court proceedings, S. Tibor—the 40-year-old driver of the Audi S5 involved in the convoy—faced intense questioning regarding his vehicle’s modifications and driving history. S. Tibor insisted that he was travelling at a modest 90 to 100 km/h prior to the collision and claimed he never saw the Mercedes-AMG GT63 travelling directly behind him. Forensic vehicle experts tell a radically different story. Data extracted from the Mercedes’ event data recorder indicates the car was travelling at 215 to 216 km/h in the seconds before impact, while forensic analysis estimates the Audi was moving between 185 and 195 km/h.
Disputed Speeds and Conflicting Witness Accounts
The core legal battle centers on the actions of P. Tiborné, who is currently facing prosecution for involuntary manslaughter due to alleged failure to yield. Prosecutors argue that the motorist in her seventies should have spotted the oncoming sports cars in her rearview mirror before attempting a left turn toward a roadside stone cross. The state’s initial reconstruction relied heavily on the testimony of K. Alexandra, who drove a Peugeot 206 immediately behind the Suzuki and told investigators the victim attempted to turn while rolling at roughly 30 km/h.
However, K. Alexandra disputed key aspects of that narrative during her courtroom appearance on Friday. Visibly shaken by the ordeal, she testified that the Suzuki driver had activated her turn signal hundreds of meters before the turn, significantly reduced her speed, and came to a complete stop before initiating the maneuver. A Volkswagen Golf driver following directly behind corroborated that account, noting that the sports cars approached with such velocity that their slipstream buffeted her own vehicle.
Unanswered Questions and Technical Reconstructions
The forensic implications of these conflicting accounts are profound. Investigators noted that if the Suzuki made a rolling turn without stopping, the extreme excessive speed of the Audi and the Mercedes would not be the decisive factor, as the sports cars could not have stopped in time regardless. Conversely, if the Suzuki driver came to a complete stop and checked her mirrors, the distance between the vehicles would have afforded the sports car drivers ample time to halt had they been obeying the 90 km/h speed limit.
The Audi owner admitted to past driving infractions, including a 2005 conviction for driving without a license and a prior drunk driving offense, despite having held a valid license for only six years at the time of the crash. Furthermore, questioning revealed a curious digital connection: S. Tibor had sent a Facebook birthday message to K. Alexandra months after the tragedy, despite testifying that he did not recall her presence at the scene.
The Pécs District Court has instructed forensic experts to recalculate the crash mechanics factoring in the possibility that the Suzuki came to a complete stop before turning. The proceedings are scheduled to resume in late January 2027 with the testimony of a forensic medical expert.
