Děčín fatal crash driver posted 200 km/h video, Czech court hears

A Czech court is hearing the case of a young driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist on 24 September 2025. Just 11 days after the crash, the defendant posted a video on Instagram showing himself speeding at almost 200 km/h. He faces up to six years in prison for negligently causing a death.

The crash happened on Road No. 240 between the villages of Mukařov and Verneřice. According to the prosecution, the man was driving a rented car in poor technical condition. At high speed he failed to take a right-hand bend, crossed into the oncoming lane and ploughed straight into a motorcyclist coming the other way. Rescuers fought to save his life, but he died at the scene.

The defendant’s version did not match the expert’s findings

“The defendant was driving at an inappropriate speed and failed to take into account that he was approaching a right-hand bend,” said prosecutor Jakub Ledl.

The defendant, named Kraus, did not dispute the crash itself in court. But he rejected the charge that he had exceeded the speed limit by at least 22 km/h. He said he was doing about 100 km/h according to his satnav when a white car ahead suddenly braked hard. “I had to brake too, I lost control of the wheel and ended up in the oncoming lane,” he said.

The expert witness rejected this account: there are no braking marks at the scene. By his calculations, the defendant was travelling at around 130 km/h in a zone with a 90 km/h limit.

Licensed for a year, with several incidents already

The defendant had held a driving licence for about a year, and in that time he managed to rack up several violations, including crashes. He had previously been caught driving even before he got his licence. He earned extra money as an unlicensed taxi driver, and rented the Volkswagen from a company he found online, whose name he says he can’t remember. The car had no mandatory insurance. The unemployed man owes about 300,000 crowns and is not paying off his debts.

The Instagram video created a separate problem. In the footage, filmed from the driver’s lap, the speedometer at times shows about 200 km/h, and this was only 11 days after a man had died. In court the defendant claimed that a friend had filmed it and that he posted the clip because he liked it.

It was the victim’s family who pointed police to the video, when they were trying to find out who the person was that had taken their loved one from them.

The family is asking for a prison sentence

The victim’s partner told the court that he was a responsible, easygoing man and an experienced professional driver who trained new drivers at his own company. In tears, she described how hard she is finding the loss of her life partner and the father of their daughter. She feels no sympathy for the defendant and is asking for an unsuspended prison sentence. According to her, after the crash he never contacted the family, never apologised and never tried to pay any compensation.

The defendant apologised only in the courtroom, after his lawyer advised him to do so: “I apologise, I’m sorry. This should never have happened.”

The hearing has been adjourned until next week, when a verdict is expected.

Around Prague guide on this topic: Exchanging your driving licence for a Czech one

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz