The Blame in Spain Falls Mainly On The ...

I was frankly astonished at the gall of this man. Lynching would have been too good for him.

According to CNN, a Spanish businessman *cough arsehole* in Haro, Spain, withdrew a controversial lawsuit on Wednesday against the family of a teenage boy he had hit with his luxury car.

This charming individual by the name of Tomas Delgado indignantly filed a lawsuit demanding damages of 20,000 Euros (USD29,400) for his marred Audi A-8.

Oh, by the way, the boy died.

In August 2004, 17-year-old Enaitz Iriondo Trinidad was riding his bicycle, from a neighbouring village to the campground where his family was vacationing, when Delgado ran over him like a bat out of hell.

"A traffic report said Delgado was traveling 113 km per hour (70 mph) in an area where the speed limit is 90 km (55 mph). An independent expert hired by Trinidad's family said Delgado was going 173 km per hour (107 mph)."

It must have been a pretty hard collision (obviously since the boy is dead) because the boy's father heard the screech of the car from the campgrounds, and the teen was "dragged 106 meters (347 feet) along the rural highway".

Oh, the boy was also hit from behind.

But Delgado insisted that he was a victim too. And the judge presiding over the collision case agreed as he ruled that Delgado had committed no criminal infraction. Yes, obviously hitting someone from behind while driving above the speed limit and committing manslaughter is a natural, blameless occurrence.

After the collision, Delgado's insurance company paid out 33,000 Euros (USD48,500) to the Trinidad family. But two weeks later, stewing over the injustice of it all, this gent of the highest calibre countersued them for damages to his fragile little Audi. And for car rental costs.

According to Rosa Trinidad, the victim's (the boy, not Delgado) mother, said they were given only three days to appeal the ruling but understandably were too distraught to pursue it. Their lawyer (I wonder if his surname is Delgado too) also advised them not to pursue criminal charges.

When news of the case appeared in the media, it sparked a mass outrage from every clear thinking person with half a heart in Spain. Hundreds of people descended on the courthouse in support of the beleaguered Trinidads. Delgado did not attend the hearing as his lawyer informed the court his client felt the media persecution was tantamount to a public lynching.

Media persecution does not kill, mate. Well, except for Princess Diana. But being hit from behind by a big ass car does.

The pressure must have gotten to Delgado because his lawyer announced that they were dropping the case. To the loud applause of the crowd.

But he really should have known when to leave it alone as Senor Trinidad is now contemplating filing the criminal charges against Delgado that they were bamboozled out of.

A local prosecutor is also revisiting the case to see whether authorities can file fresh charges against Delgado.

So Audi ya like that, Senor Delgado?

Story adapted from CNN's Al Goodman article