A Shandong-born driver who was behind the wheel of a truck that took the lives of seven knelt down and begged the victims` relatives for forgiveness during his trial in a Chaoyang district criminal court yesterday.

Twenty-four-year-old Liu Ping looked pale and haggard as he bowed deeply to the grieving families and muttered "sorry" immediately after stepping into court.

As he did so his mother, who traveled to Beijing from her home in Shandong province, sobbed in the last row of the public seating.

Liu, who is charged with causing a traffic accident, is being tried at Wenyuhe court.

He has already confessed to driving under the influence of alcohol and having driven on the Fifth Ring Road, which prohibits trucks registered outside the capital.

Liu`s lawyer asked the court for leniency, saying his client quickly called police and helped to try to pull people from the wreckage after the accident.

The public prosecutor insisted Liu should be held accountable and said the evidence was clear.

No verdict was reached yesterday.

A press officer at the court told METRO Liu could face up to seven years in prison and be called on to pay compensation of around 6.5 million yuan.

Liu grew up in a town of almost 57,000 people in Shandong province and started his driving career at 18.

He was working the third day of a new job with Shandong-based employer Luxiang Logistics Company when the accident happened on July 28. It was his first day of driving in the capital.

"I had drunk a bottle of beer at lunch time and was led by one of my company`s vehicles onto the road after discharging cargo in a beer plant in the afternoon," Liu said in court.

According to the public prosecutor`s statement, Liu braked hard and steered left to dodge a car but his speeding truck crashed across the central reservation and collided with three cars.

Seven men were killed and a woman was seriously injured.

One of the three cars carried five colleagues from the State-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation Third Division, who were returning to Beijing after a project in Tianjin. All were killed in the crash.

Among the five victims, 34-year-old Ma Kefeng died without having a chance to see his soon-to-be-born baby - his wife was nine-months pregnant at the time.

Zhang Ze, 26, was the youngest of the victims.

The only survivor, 40-year-old Liu Meiyan, lost her husband, who was driving their car, and suffered dozens of fractures.

"He (Liu Ping) injured so many families. We can`t forgive him even though he knelt down," said Guo Qingchun, the brother of victim Guo Qing Feng, a 50-year-old Beijing driver who was alone in his car when it was involved in the accident.

"According to Liu`s economic situation, he may be unable to pay the compensation," he said. "We hope the government can help us in some aspects."