Austria: community service ordered for moped crash mother

BERLIN – An Austrian court has told a woman to do 200 hours of community work after her two daughters died when a car slammed into the trailer they were being pulled in behind her electric moped.

The woman had been accused of causing death by gross negligence because the children aged 1 and 4 weren’t wearing helmets and the trailer lacked rear lights when the accident happened Aug. 4 near Hausleiten, outside Vienna.

The 60-year-old driver whose car hit the trailer in gathering darkness was convicted of causing death and bodily harm by negligence and fined 28,000 euros ($30,850) Monday by the Korneuburg state court, the Austria Press Agency reported.

The case against the 39-year-old mother will be dropped if she performs the 200 hours of community service within six months.