Lithuania’s Supreme Court rejects compensation claim for firefighter’s accidental death as damages already paid

The Lithuanian Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s decision to reject a civil claim for non-pecuniary damages filed by the family of a firefighter accidentally killed near the Belarus border, ruling that statutory compensation had already covered their losses, LRT reports.

The case centred on a 2021 incident in which one firefighter fatally injured a colleague while clearing terrain along the Lithuania-Belarus border. Though criminal charges were later dropped, the victim’s mother and daughter sought additional compensation for moral suffering.

A district court initially awarded the mother €15,000 and the daughter €25,000 in non-material damages, to be paid by the Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD). However, an appeals court overturned the ruling, finding that each had already received €46,000 under the Internal Service Statute—a payment the Supreme Court confirmed could encompass both material and non-material losses.

The high court’s decision, announced Thursday, is final and not subject to further appeal. Judges emphasised that granting duplicate compensation would violate principles of proportionality and fairness.

In 2021, prosecutors had charged the firefighter with involuntary manslaughter, but courts ultimately acquitted him under extenuating circumstances.