wasabiroots
A man has been convicted of manslaughter after a wasp from a nest he disturbed fatally stung someone allergic to the insects.
The man, who was not named in reports, was trying to remove a wasps’ nest from the terrace of a friend’s home in the western Swiss canton of Geneva.
The disturbed wasps swarmed towards a couple on a neighboring terrace, stinging both of them.
The woman was stung on her head and arms and was otherwise unhurt but her husband went into anaphylactic shock after being stung and died two days later.
A decision said that the man should have taken precautionary measures when removing the nest, as it is well known that wasp stings can be fatal to susceptible people.
The defendant said he had not expected anyone to be outside due to the cold weather at the time.
He added in his defense that there were no legal requirements to be fulfilled before the removal of a wasps’ nest.
The court dismissed his explanations and ruled that he had acted negligently and carelessly. The death of the unnamed neighbor could have been prevented, it was ruled.
The defendant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury and given a conditional sentence of 90 days in jail.
However, he can choose to pay a fine of £78 for every day he does not want to spend in prison, which means he can pay £7,041 instead of serving any jail time.
His choice was not reported.