The State Attorney's Office filed an appeal with the Supreme Court today (Wednesday) against the sentence of Tarek Kard, who was convicted of causing a fatal car accident in which Tzipi Rimel and her three-week-old daughter Noam were killed, and other family members were seriously injured.
The Jerusalem District Court sentenced Kard to six years in prison, along with a 15-year disqualification from holding a driver's license, probation, and compensation for the victims of the crime. The prosecutor's office claims that the sentence does not reflect the severity of his actions and the consequences of the accident.
According to the verdict, Kard, who was a new driver, purchased a vehicle a few days before the accident and decided to take it for a 'test drive', even though the maximum speed allowed on the road was 90 km/h. He accelerated the vehicle to a speed of approximately 140-145 km/h, lost control and crashed with great force into several vehicles that were stopped at a red light.
As a result of the accident, Tzipi Rimel and her daughter Noam were killed. Ephraim Rimel, the father of the family, was seriously injured, underwent numerous surgeries, and was left with severe and lasting injuries. His son Itay was critically injured, also underwent numerous surgeries, and was left with complex injuries. Additional passengers were injured in the accident.
Kard was convicted of two counts of negligent homicide, two counts of serious bodily harm, three counts of injury, speeding, causing damage, and driving without insurance.
The appeal, filed through the Criminal Division of the State Attorney's Office, claims that the recklessness with which Kard acted is at the highest level and almost borders on indifference. The prosecution emphasizes that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather someone who planned to take a 'test drive', and being a new and inexperienced driver, deliberately accelerated his vehicle to a speed of approximately 140-145 km/h, in order to test its performance, while taking a huge risk to the lives of road users.
It was further argued that the range of punishment determined by the court and the sentence imposed do not reflect the full severity of the consequences of Kard's actions, which included the death of Tzipi Rimel and her daughter Noam, the serious injuries inflicted on family members and other victims, and the devastation that Kard inflicted on an entire family.
The prosecution claims that accidents caused by reckless driving are a scourge of the state, and that they must be combated through severe and deterrent punishment. Therefore, it seeks to substantially increase Kard's sentence. .
