Driver who killed teen sues parents over damage to car

MADRID, Spain — A speeding motorist who killed a teenage cyclist in Spain is suing the boy’s parents over damage to his luxury car.

Enaitz Iriondo, 17, died instantly in August 2004 when businessman Tomas Delgado’s Audi A8 crashed into him at 160 km/h near Haro in northern Spain.

The speed limit was 88 km/h.

The teen — who was not wearing reflective clothing or a helmet — crossed the path of Delgado’s car from a side road and a regional court found both parties at fault and closed the case.

Delgado, whose insurance company paid Iriondo’s parents $48,500 in compensation for their son’s life, filed a suit in late 2006 to recover $29,400 in damages to his car.

A ruling is expected next week.

Iriondo’s parents were shocked, calling it a stab in the back.

“Before the lawsuit we thought the poor guy would find it hard to live the rest of his life with the thought of having caused our son’s death,” said Iriondo’s mother, Rosa Trinidad.

The European Union’s statistics office says Spain recorded 113 traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in 2004. The average for the 25-country bloc was 95. In 2006, 3,016 people died on Spain’s roads.