Spanish court rules out criminal charges in Diogo Jota fatal crash
A Spanish court has ruled there is no criminal liability surrounding the motorway crash that killed former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva last July.
The siblings died when their vehicle veered off the A-52 motorway in the northern Spanish province of Zamora.
An official investigation concluded the tragic incident was caused by a burst tyre while their car was overtaking another vehicle.
After colliding with a central barrier, the sports car subsequently caught fire.
Court dismisses criminal case
The High Court of Justice for the region of Castilla y Leon confirmed the case was formally dismissed last November.
Legal authorities assessed expert reports issued by the Civil Guard’s Traffic Unit before determining that no criminal proceedings could be brought.
However, the dismissal does not prevent affected parties from pursuing civil action in the future.
Journey back to Merseyside
The Portuguese international was driving back to England for the start of pre-season training when the accident occurred.
He had opted to travel by road after receiving medical advice against flying following a minor procedure.
The 28-year-old had recently concluded a highly successful campaign, lifting the Premier League title with the Reds and the Nations League with his country.
His 25-year-old brother played as a midfielder for Portuguese second-tier side Penafiel and had previously represented Porto at youth level.
Tributes to the brothers
The sporting world united in grief following the sudden deaths of the two footballers.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot was among the past and present colleagues who attended the funeral in the brothers’ hometown of Gondomar.
The former Wolves attacker is survived by his wife, Rute Cardoso, and their three young children.
His two sons recently served as mascots at Anfield when the Merseyside club hosted Wanderers in December.
It is not my place to tell them where they should look for comfort – if that is even possible – but I can only hope that the feeling of love and affection that Diogo still generates brings them some solace.
Arne Slot
