It seems six years is enough time to forget about the fatal tragedy you’ve caused.
The notorious Croatian businessman Tomislav Horvatinčić is planning to buy a new yacht, reported Slobodna Dalmacija on October 2, 2017. He’s currently looking at what’s on offer in Italy, according to a source who has seen him in the port of Rapallo near Genova.
Horvatinčić is known for his business projects that get approved and built while entirely disregarding the opinion of the public and the experts alike, such as the shopping centre Cvjetni on the square of the same name in Zagreb. Another thing his name now stands for are tragic traffic and maritime accidents – all of which he has caused himself, getting off without any time served or considerable penalties of any other kind.
Since he took part in a maritime accident in 2011 that led to death of an Italian married couple, Horvatinčić hasn’t been seen at sea – at least not on a boat of his own. Now, he seems to have decided to recharge his batteries; as he once stated, it only takes him a day at sea to unwind, and those batteries have obviously emptied completely in the last six years.
He was spotted looking into San Lorenzo 82, a used 25-metre yacht that would cost him 2 million euro. Contacted by reporters of Slobodna Dalmacija, Horvatinčić answered the phone and proceeded to dish out a 30-second verbal firing about reporters being to blame for all his previous accidents. “Yes, I bought a 50-metre yacht and I’m inviting you and your editor to join me at the launch”, he said sarcastically before ending the call.
Let’s do a quick recap: in 1980, Horvatinčić ran over a 75 year-old woman named Manda Vučković, killing her on the spot and inflicting serious injuries on her daughter. He fled from the scene and later defended himself by stating he couldn’t have stayed on site of the accident because he was afraid of blood. He failed to explain why he didn’t call for help. He got off on parole, but his driver’s licence wasn’t taken away. In 1989, he caused another traffic accident that killed Nada Petrović; already a successful businessman and millionaire at the time, Horvatinčić was charged with a criminal offence, but the outcome remains a mystery to this day, and he hasn’t served any time. In 2009, while driving a Range Rover, he crashed into an Opel Astra that carried a married couple and their two children. Fortunately, all passengers got out with light injuries only, but Horvatinčić got off without any consequences yet again. And then, on August 16, 2011, his yacht crashed into a sailboat carrying two Italian tourists, Francesco and Marinella Salpietro. He failed to adjust his course to let the boat pass, running into it, breaking it in half and failing to stop altogether, causing the couple to fall off the boat and later pass away due to serious injuries. Their two children filed a criminal report and sued Horvatinčić, who expressed remorse and offered financial compensation. Combined with his health problems, the listed factors led to the judge changing the nature of the offence from oblique intent to negligence. The prosecutor filed an appeal, the verdict was annulled in November 2016, and the new proceedings started in February 2017. Horvatinčić still hasn’t been penalised in any way.
When you do a quick online search about Horvatinčić, the first result that pops up is an article titled ‘All Victims of Tomislav Horvatinčić: How Many People Has He Killed Exactly?‘ – a wonderful introduction to any person’s life and work. After such an impressive career in negligence and disregard for other people’s safety, one would think the man would maybe realise he should steer clear of vehicles of any kind. And yet, there he is, deciding six years was enough to come to terms with the last tragedy he’s caused. After all, one can’t be a successful entrepreneur without recharging their batteries every now and then.
