Russian online outcry over fatal car crash
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Russian police have backtracked on their decision not to investigate the daughter of a senior Siberian official, who appears to have been caught on video running over two pedestrians, after internet users accused them of negligence and corruption.
In December Anna Shavenkova, daughter of the election committee chairwoman, drove her car at high speed onto a pavement in the centre of Siberian city of Irkutsk, slamming head-on into two pedestrians. A video of the crash, filmed by a nearby security camera, has been repeatedly posted on the internet.
The video shows the white Toyota driving straight into two women on the pavement, who are hurled backwards into the side of a building. The female driver gets out of the car, checks it for damage and makes a mobile phone call, all the while she completely ignores the two injured women lying on the street.
Yelena Pyatkova, 27 years old, died in hospital shortly after the accident and her sister, Yuliya, has been left paralysed.
Outrage spread on the internet over the weekend after reports emerged that Ms Shavenkova is being treated as the main witness in the police investigation, rather than a suspect. Bloggers accused her mother, Lyudmila Shavenkova - head of the regional election committee and an adviser to the pro-Kremlin party United Russia, of pulling strings to avoid an investigation into her daughter's role in the crash.
Police announced yesterday that Ms Shavenkova was now classed as a suspect in the investigation, and could face charges of manslaughter.
This change of heart has apparently come after a viral campaign by outraged bloggers, who claimed widespread corruption effectively means the well-connected can do whatever they want with impunity. Several sardonic commentators wrote that it was far more likely “the car will be found guilty” of causing the fatal accident rather than Shavenkova, its driver.
Other
There is NO WAY I or anyone should attend the 2014 Olympics with this kind of corruption still happening in Russia.
It's the 21st century...people need to be held accountable for their actions and I find it disgusting that people think they are exempt from punishment because of who they know or what their family status is.
A wrong is a wrong and you will be judged sooner or later...whether it is in life or in death you will be made to answer for the wrongs you have done.
I can't imagine/believe how someone can do this and still sleep at night...
...this is almost a case of hit and run.
A life is a life...someone that doesn't value someone else’s life shouldn't be allowed to have one of their own - LOCK HER UP. She didn't have ANY REMORSE for what happened...she was more concerned about her car. She acts like she just accidentally hit an animal. Is this how Russians treat the public? This is going to make the rest of the world stand up and tell Russian Govt they need to clean up/stop the corruption. If they are lucky...they might get a few visitors to the 2014 Olympic games. I for one will no longer be attending and will advise any/all who are thinking about it to ban it until justice is served for this case and the many others the Russian officials try to cover up?!
Other
More like vehicular homicide. She should be sent down for killing one and paralysing another women. If she is still on the roads you can bet I won't be in Sochi 2014. lol.
My idiot friend dropped boulders off an overpass here in Canada and you know what, he paralysed a man. Ruined a family. Ruined his own life, have I seen him lately. Hell no, hes been locked up for manslaughter. In and out of jail since he was 12. Totally not the same thing, but people f*** up, and those people, BELONG in jail. At least until they can make some goddamn redemption in life. Brutal
