Driver sentenced to 6 years for killing pedestrian and refusing to help victim

According to the court ruling, 29-year-old Murodilla Zabikhullaev, born in 1996, had been driving a Lacetti car under a power of attorney from a friend.

On September 18, 2024, he ignored traffic signs indicating speed limits and drove at 112.7 km/h along Samarkand Darvoza Street in the Shaykhontohur district. After losing control of the vehicle, he struck a 19-year-old girl who was crossing the pedestrian walkway at the intersection of Samarkand Darvoza and Abu Ali Ibn Sino streets. The girl suffered severe injuries and died at the scene.

Murodilla Zabikhullaev fully admitted his guilt during the trial.

“After hitting her, I got out of the car and ran to the unconscious pedestrian, hoping to administer first aid. I then called an ambulance and requested assistance. A crowd of unfamiliar citizens gathered around. One of them suggested we take the girl to the hospital. In a state of shock, I told them I couldn’t drive, and I asked anyone with a car to take her to the hospital. At that moment, the girl started bleeding from her mouth and stopped breathing. Medical personnel from a nearby family clinic arrived and confirmed her death,” the driver said.

Kun.uz, which had reported on the case at the time of the incident, quoted witnesses stating that the girl was still alive after being struck by the car, but the driver refused to take her to the hospital. She passed away before the ambulance arrived.

"Someone shouted that a person had been hit. I ran down and saw the girl in critical condition. I told the driver to help and to lift her, but he responded, ‘I won’t carry a corpse in my car.’ The girl died a few minutes later. The driver had been driving at an extremely high speed. I saw that the girl was still alive when I reached her, but she passed away about five minutes later. The ambulance arrived shortly after,” said one of the witnesses.

“After hitting the girl, the driver got out of the car and said, 'I won’t carry a corpse in my car.' He showed no remorse. Had he acted quickly and helped, perhaps the girl might have survived,” another witness added.

Other witnesses mentioned that, after being hit, the girl asked for her parents before she passed away.

Following the trial, Murodilla Zabikhullaev was found guilty of violating traffic safety regulations that resulted in the pedestrian’s death under Article 266, Part 2 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison, along with a 3-year driving ban.

Additionally, his sentence was extended by 6 years and 24 days by adding the remaining portion of his previous sentence for theft. In August 2023, he had been convicted for stealing livestock in Tashkent region and sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison. However, due to the application of Article 72 of the Criminal Code, his sentence had been conditional with a 3-year probation period.