At the stroke of Christmas Eve 2019, a merrymaking gathering in Gerichshain, a village nestled near Leipzig in Saxony, took an alarming turn. Host Eric S. (45) invited friends to his abode, where they joyously sang, sipped on libations, and reveled together. The celebrations hit a peak when the jovial duo of Eric and Thomas H. (47) hatched an idea, resulting in catastrophic consequences.
Their innovative, albeit misguided, idea involved procuring dry ice and throwing it into the heated pool, creating an enormous, enchanting cloud of fog. Captured on video, the evocative smoke column ascended into the night sky. A voice in the recording could be heard laughing, "Perfect! They'll be frozen until next year!" Unbeknownst to Eric, the dry ice's interaction with the air would subsequently yield deadly carbon dioxide, causing Pascal G. (20) and Stefan A. (39) to asphyxiate in its presence while ensconced in the pool.
Kai S. (48) was also unluckily submerged in the deadly vapor cloud and lost consciousness. Miraculously, he was rescued, but tragically, the medical team arrived too late to save Stefan.
The verdict from the initial trial saw the two accused men cleared, as the court ruled that they couldn't have foreseen such dire outcomes. However, the public prosecutor's office in Leipzig expressed dissatisfaction with the lenient ruling, thereby initiating an appeal, claiming that the negligence was substantial.
On Tuesday, Eric S. made his way to the Leipzig District Court, overwhelmed with emotions. His legal counsel read out Eric's statement, expressing remorse for the grief inflicted on the families and grapple with his guilt. Eric's light-hearted recollection of the tragic night stemmed from a children's TV program, which highlighted the lethal nature of dry ice. Eric maintained he had no intention of causing harm.
At the time, Eric had 30 kilos of dry ice stored in his yard, citing it was intended for chilling slaughtered ducks. On a night of heavy intoxication, the men tipped the whole carton into the swimming pool. The trial is poised to unravel further in the coming days, inviting interested eyes to bear witness.
