Sušice grill explosion: suspended sentence and CZK 850,000 payout

Judge Jan Kasal sentenced the defendant for negligently causing a public danger to eight months in prison, suspended for a probation period of two years. He also ordered him to pay CZK 600,000 to the woman who was hurt worst and a further quarter of a million crowns to a health insurance company to cover treatment costs.

Defence lawyer Rostislav Netrval said the court took into account his client’s admission of guilt, his clean criminal record and his willingness to make up for the damage.

He poured the fuel straight from the canister

The incident happened on 6 September at around half past one in the morning on the Santos island in Sušice. According to investigators, the defendant first lit a fire in a metal grill and then poured flammable liquid into it straight from a canister. There was an explosion, flames shot out and hit several people standing nearby.

Rescuers took four people to hospital. A 38-year-old woman was hurt worst: with third-degree burns, she was admitted to a specialised burn clinic in Prague’s Vinohrady. Experts classed her injuries as grievous bodily harm.

The defendant was a guest at the event. He claimed he wanted to light the grill so people could warm up: he first poured liquid from the canister into a tin container, but the fire would not catch at first. “I took the canister and topped it up straight into the container. At that moment there was a bang and flames burst out. I was in shock and didn’t notice the others,” the man testified. Police later established that he was drunk.

According to witnesses, chaos broke out after the explosion. “People were running around with their clothes on fire. One of the women literally went up like a torch. Other guests quickly tried to put the flames out. Then ambulances arrived and a helicopter landed,” eyewitnesses described.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz