Last update - 00:00 28/09/2006
Top lawyer convicted of causing death through negligence
By Yuval Yoaz and Haaretz Service
Top lawyer Avigdor "Dori" Klagsbald was convicted Thursday morning in Tel Aviv Traffic Court to causing the deaths through negligence of a mother and son in an April car accident.
Klagsbald was convicted on the basis of his admission to the charge in court earlier Thursday.
Dozens of protesters outside the court demanded Klagsbald be charged with manslaughter and given a strict sentence for his role in the crash.
The accident occurred on April 11, when Klagsbald was driving southwards into Tel Aviv in his Volkswagen Touareg at high speed. About 50 meters before an intersection, his SUV side-swiped several cars waiting at the traffic lights.
Among the cars hit was a Fiat Punto carrying 23-year-old Bnei Brak resident Yevgenia Wexler and her son Arthur. Both were killed in the collision.
The prosecution demanded the court sentence Klagsbald to a long and meaningful jail sentence due to the "criminal negligence" on his part.
According to the prosecution, Klagsbald's negligence lasted for 14 crucial seconds in which he could have prevented the accident, and the court should not take into account the attorney's social status in determining his sentence.
Klagsbald is held to be one of Israel's expert lawyers in defending white-collar offenders, and was the personal attorney of former prime minister Ariel Sharon.
The prosecution added that in prior similar convictions sentences of two years in prison have been handed down.
Speaking at the end of the hearing, Klagsbald told Judge Haim Gerti, "You are an experienced enough man to know that it is not a cliché to say my life has changed entirely since the accident."
"Since [the accident] my life has been continual suffering and torment," said Klagsbald. "But I am aware that my suffering is incomparable to that of the Wexler family suffering."
"I intend to approach the family and try to ease their suffering, and to take action on the issue of traffic accidents," Klagsbald continued. "I am 53 years old. All my life I made an effort to live appropriately. Because of three seconds of lack of concentration, which I don't even know how to explain, all was lost."
Klagsbald repeated his claim that he does not remember anything about the crash. "I don't even know what to torment myself about, which mistake I made," he said.
Klagsbald's attorneys Dan Shayman and Shimon Mizrahi, argued that the negligence that caused the crash was relatively minor and lasted no more than three seconds. They presented the court with a long list of similar cases in which a sentence of community service was handed down.
Arthur Wexler's grandmother appeared on behalf of the prosecution and told the court that "there is no longer any point to go on living."
"To say we loved Arthur is like saying nothing," she said. "He was our life, he was our sun."
The defense called several prominent character witnesses to testify on Klagsbald's behalf, including former Mossad head Zvi Zamir, and former MKs Professor Uriel Reichman and Professor Amnon Rubinstein.
The three gave a lengthy account of Klagsbald's virtues and contributions to the community, including prior intentions to nominate the attorney to the Supreme Court.
Reichman told the court that he had discussed the matter of Klagsbald's nomination with former justice minister Yosef Lapid and former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, and added that Klagsbald will not be nominated due to his role in the accident.