Killer driver sues cyclist victim's family

Enaitz Iriondo and Tomas Delgado (Alalam News)

A speeding driver who hit and killed a teenage cyclist is suing the boy’s family for the damage to his car.

According to reports in Spanish newspaper, El Pais, businessman Tomas Delgado is seeking almost £20,000 to cover the cost of the damage to his luxury Audi A8.

Delgado was driving at 100mph in a 55mph zone when he hit 17-year-old Enaitz Iriondo.

But he faced no criminal charges over the incident because a judge ruled both parties were to blame.

Iriondo was not wearing a helmet or reflective clothing when he was killed and was hit when he rode through a Give Way junction.

Now Delgado wants 20,000 Euros (£14,830) for the cost of the damage Iriondo’s body did to his car when he hit it. And another 6,000 Euros (£4,450) to cover the cost of hiring a rental while his own car was being repaired.

Following the fatal accident in the La Rioja region of Spain, Iriondo’s family were paid 33,000 Euros (£24,479) in compensation by Delgado’s insurance company, which acknowledged his speeding could have helped cause the accident.

Until the lawsuit, the boy’s parents said they had pitied Delgado, feeling sorry for the guilt they assumed he felt over the accident.

But Delgado told El Pais: "I'm also a victim in all of this, you can't fix the lad's problems, but you can fix mine.”

The boy’s mother, Rosa Trinidad said: "This was the final straw, a kick in the teeth.”

His father said: "The driver's negligence was the cause of death. If he'd been travelling a bit slower, he'd have had time to brake.”

A ruling on the lawsuit is expected on Wednesday, (January 30).

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