BRESCIA – Two German tourists who killed an Italian couple when they drunkenly crashed a motorboat into the pair’s small rowing boat on Lake Garda, have been sentenced to several years in jail for manslaughter, damage to the boat and omission of rescue, judicial sources said.

 The incident took place on the evening of June 19, 2021. Two German executives, Patrick Kassen of Cellergy and Cristian Teismann of Lenovo, both 52, were on holiday from Munich. They were driving the motorboat at four times the speed limit and, according to their testimony, did not see the small rowing boat from which Umberto Garzarella, 37, and Greta Nedrotti, 25, were leisurely watching a vintage car race on the shore. The motorboat crashed into the rowing boat, probably killing Garzarella instantly and throwing Nedrotti into the water. Instead of stopping to help and potentially save Nedrotti’s life, the pair of businessmen drove away without stopping and, according to one witness, they didn’t even slow down.

 The Brescia court has now convicted the pair, with Kassen receiving a heavier sentence due to being at the wheel. Teismann, who maintains he was sleeping through the accident, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while Kassen, who has admitted guilt, is due to serve four years and six months.

 Kassen claims not to have noticed the small boat, saying “we thought it was a branch or a buoy.” However, according to the indictment, the two managers did not see the boat because they were inebriated. The day after the accident, when the boat responsible for the accident had been identified, Teismann refused to undergo an alcohol test, while Kassen complied. The latter’s result showed he had exceeded the legal limit to be able to drive the vehicle. 

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