A 24-year-old man was identified and made an official suspect by the National Republican Guard (GNR) on Tuesday, July 1, for “failure to provide assistance and negligent homicide,” following his involvement in a traffic collision described as a “hit-and-run” in the Vagos municipality, Aveiro.
The GNR, in a statement sent to newsrooms, reported that five days after the incident, “investigators from the Road Accident Crime Investigation Unit (NICAV), within their remit, identified and officially charged the suspect.”
An expert examination of the vehicle was conducted to collect evidence crucial for the case.
The suspect has already been presented to the Vagos Judicial Court for the crimes of failure to provide assistance and negligent homicide.
The GNR notes that NICAV’s “primary mission is the investigation of road accidents involving fatalities and serious injuries, as well as other crimes associated with the road context,” highlighting that the “work developed by this unit is essential for enhancing road safety, allowing for a rigorous determination of the causes and circumstances of accidents, and contributing to the prevention of future incidents.”
What constitutes a crime of failure to provide assistance?
This type of crime “involves the conduct of, in cases of dire need, particularly caused by disaster, accident, public calamity, or common danger, endangering the life, physical integrity, or freedom of another person, and failing to provide necessary assistance to avert the danger, whether through personal action or by promoting rescue,” explains the Diário da República.
It is further added that this crime is “generally punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 120 days.”
However, “if the situation of dire need was created by the person who omits the required assistance, the penalties can be increased to up to two years in prison or a 240-day fine.”
It is important to note that this is a “public crime,” meaning that “criminal proceedings do not depend on filing a complaint or pressing personal charges.”
What is understood by negligent homicide?
According to the Portuguese Penal Code, negligent homicide occurs “when someone kills another person through negligent action or omission,” meaning there is no intention to cause death, but it results from a lack of care or attention.
The penalty can vary up to three years in prison or a fine, reaching five years in cases of gross negligence.
