TBILISI, July 4, 2026. The lawyer for a Russian citizen detained over a fatal sidewalk crash in Tbilisi says his client did not act intentionally and may have pressed the wrong pedal when starting the car.
The case concerns a crash on Tsotne Dadiani Street on June 22, when a middle-aged woman walking on the sidewalk was hit by a car that started moving from the same sidewalk. According to Interpressnews, video footage shows the car hitting the woman and pushing her into a parked vehicle.
The woman died shortly after being taken to hospital.
The driver was detained the same day and has been placed in pre-trial detention. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, she is charged under an article of the criminal code covering violation of traffic safety or vehicle operation rules resulting in the loss of human life. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to seven years in prison.
The driver’s lawyer, Imeda Karkashadze, told PalitraNews that his client is in a very difficult psychological state and deeply regrets what happened. He said the woman told him: “Everything will pass, but how will I live with this sin all my life?”
According to Karkashadze, the driver says she does not remember what happened at the moment of the crash. He said she was following her normal routine and was on her way to work. He also said she was not under the influence of alcohol and that no other such circumstance was present.
The lawyer said the case should be treated as an unintentional traffic offense, not as a deliberate act.
“This is an ordinary traffic accident, because of which a person died,” he said, adding that any suggestion of intentional impact was “excluded.”
Karkashadze also clarified earlier comments about the condition of the car. He said he had not meant that a car part had caused the crash. According to him, the driver had noticed a problem with the gearbox, but the rest of the vehicle was functioning normally.
He said an expert inspection had already been carried out. According to the lawyer, the brake system was in working order and the steering mechanism was also functioning properly.
His version is that the woman made a mistake while starting the car and accidentally pressed another pedal, causing the collision.
The lawyer also offered condolences to the victim’s family and said the situation was very difficult because a person had died.
