The man who caused the accident that killed Spanish cyclist Ricardo Otxoa and severely handicapped his twin brother Javier in February 2001 was finally sentenced. A Spanish court ordered him to pay a fine of €1800 and to give up his driver's license for a year. The prosecution had asked the court to award the highest possible penalty, including up to seven years in prison and a fine of over €200,000. However, the auto driver's attorney was able to prove that his client had the right of way and that the Otxoa brothers cut him off.
Javier, who won the Hautacam stage in the 2000 Tour de France ahead of Lance Armstrong, suffered a crushed left leg, five broken vertebrae and severe cranial trauma, and was in a coma for 64 days. He was unable to return to pro cycling but won a gold medal in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens.
