Spanish prosecutors have requested that the driver who killed Ricardo Otxoa and permanently disabled his brother Javier in 2001 be given a jail term of seven years and pay €210,354 in compensation to Ricardo's family, as well as an additional amount to Javier.. The prosecution is asking for the maximum penalties for the offences of imprudent homicide (four years) and imprudent injury (three years), and has further requested that the driver, Sebastián Fernández, have his licence taken away for nine years.
In his defence, Fernández claimed that "the cyclist that was going to the left moved into my line suddenly, and as a result, fell over the hood of my vehicle. I tried to brake a little to avoid skidding off the road. I was travelling at a prudent speed."
