Road safety
The 45-year-old car driver who killed two cyclists in the port of Ghent on Sunday will remain in jail for a month longer. The Ghent council chamber decided this.
The Ghent council chamber confirmed the man’s arrest on Wednesday morning. “We will not appeal the decision, out of respect for the relatives,” says his lawyer Marc Schollier. “My client will cooperate with the investigation. He realizes the seriousness of the facts and is extremely sorry for them.”
The accident happened around 11 am in the Pantserschipstraat in Ghent. A car driver crashed into a group of five cyclists who were riding on the cycle path. Two of the cyclists, two 45-year-old men from Lochristi, did not survive the collision.
After the accident, the driver gave a positive breath test – he was found to have 3 per mille of alcohol (about 10-13 drinks for a woman, 15-19 drinks for a man) in the blood. The saliva test was negative, but the toxicological examination should clarify whether the man was also under the influence of drugs or medication.
The man was arrested by the investigating judge for the unintentional killing of two people in the context of traffic, unintentional assault and battery on the injured victims and driving while losing the right to steer.
