Smalyavichy truck driver choked on a candy while driving. Two people died as a result
It happened on a highway in Russia. 59-year-old Ryhor Byahun says the candy "went down the wrong pipe," he started to suffocate and tried to cough it out.
Ryhor Byahun from Smalyavichy worked as a truck driver for "Yumax" company, he was making a trip on the route between Minsk and Novorossiysk — a port on the Black Sea coast in Krasnodar Krai. On the evening of May 17, 2025, the Belarusian was driving through Oryol Oblast in his DAF FT XF 105.460 tractor unit.
During the journey, Byahun took a lollipop that was lying on the dashboard near the steering wheel and put it in his mouth.
"After which I felt that I was choking on the candy, and my vision blurred. I couldn't breathe, started to suffocate and tried to cough it out. Because of what happened, I lost control over the vehicle's movement for a split second," he told the investigator.
He drove into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with a "Lada Largus". The car's driver died on the spot. His wife, who was a passenger, died on the way to the hospital.
The driver doesn't remember the moment of impact — he regained consciousness when the truck was already in the ditch on the opposite side of the road.
On March 4, 2026, Byahun was found guilty under Part 5 of Art. 264 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violation of traffic rules that negligently caused the death of two persons) and was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in a penal colony settlement.
The Belarusian fully admitted his guilt.
Four relatives of the deceased filed civil claims for compensation for moral damages — a total of $174,000. However, they did not appear in court and did not provide additional evidence, so the court recognized their right to compensation, but the amount will be determined within the framework of a civil court case.
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