The patrol officer who fatally struck a 6-year-old child in Pryluky received a sentence — the court imposed the maximum punishment

The Pryluky City District Court of Chernihiv region 4 August sentenced the police officer to the maximum punishment for the fatal traffic accident in which a 6-year-old child died — 8 years of imprisonment. In addition to the prison term, the woman was deprived of the right to drive motor vehicles for 3 years. The court did not find mitigating or aggravating circumstances, although it took into account that at the time of the accident she was performing an official duty as an employee of the National Police.

The public prosecution in the case was supported by Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Lohachov, who headed the group of prosecutors. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. Together with the head and prosecutors of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, he represented the prosecution’s position and insisted on imposing the harshest penalty on the police officer.

"From the start of the criminal proceedings, the prosecution consistently defended a principled position — both regarding detaining the defendant in custody and regarding imposing the maximum punishment. The status of a law enforcement officer does not exempt one from responsibility — on the contrary, it implies an increased duty to act lawfully and safely," Lohachov said.

According to the prosecutor, the evidence collected and examined in court fully confirmed the police officer’s guilt and the direct causal link between the committed violations and the child’s death.

Circumstances of the fatal collision established

Prosecutors proved that on 10 December 2025 at around 11:44 the police officer was driving the service vehicle, a Mitsubishi Outlander, and was heading to a call about another traffic accident. On Vyacheslav Chornovil Street in Pryluky she approached an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing where a woman was crossing the roadway with her six-year-old daughter. Despite the speed limit of 40 km/h, the service vehicle was traveling at about 51–55 km/h.

The vehicle’s flashing lights were on, but the audible special signal was not used. The driver did not reduce speed before the crossing, did not give way to the pedestrians, and did not take timely measures to stop the vehicle. An expert examination confirmed that the police officer had the technical ability to avoid the collision if the Traffic Rules had been observed, and the court found the established violations to be the direct cause of the crash.

As a result of the collision the child sustained severe injuries and died, and the mother suffered bodily injuries of moderate severity. The defendant admitted guilt only partially. The court also granted the civil claims of the victims and ordered the payment of 6 million UAH in moral damages.

Drivers being tried for fatal road accidents

Earlier Informator reported that in Lviv region a drunk Mercedes driver caused a fatal traffic accident in which three teenage girls died. We also wrote about the verdict in a case in Zakarpattia where a mother and child died — the court found the driver who caused the accident guilty.