Tragic Fatal Accident on A16: Man Receives Community Service for Causing Death of 1-Year-Old Boy

A 49-year-old man from The Hague is receiving 180 hours of community service for causing a fatal accident on the A16 near Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht at the end of 2020. A 1-year-old boy was killed in the accident.

On that day, the man had bought a van from a car company in North Brabant. On the way home, the engine failed on the driver, who was driving in the left lane. Within two minutes the speed dropped from 100 to 6 kilometers per hour.

Instead of driving the car to the emergency lane, the driver called the dealer and asked what to do. When the van almost came to a stop, a car carrying Joël, who was fifteen months old and his father, entered the back of the van. The child died in hospital as a result of the injuries.

According to the court, the van driver had enough time to steer three lanes to the right, into the emergency lane. “In any case, there was still more than a minute and a half available when the suspect’s car had reduced its speed to about 40/50 kilometers per hour. It was not shown that the traffic conditions did not allow the suspect to drive. the crisis series,” he says. conclusion, quote by regional broadcaster Rijnmond.

The Public Prosecution Service asked for a six-month prison sentence. In the decision, the judge noted that the man did not know that his new vehicle was not in order. “He bought the car for almost 5,000 euros and he had received an MOT inspection report when he bought the car. So he assumed he had bought a good vehicle,” said the judge.

A review revealed that the van should have been rejected on fourteen points and should never have been allowed on the road. But the judge is acquitted. According to the court, it has not been proven that the poor inspection was the cause of the car coming to a stop. The judge also finds that there is no evidence that a bad investigation was carried out. The woman who sold the van will appear in court later.

The driver said at the substantive hearing two weeks ago that he had no choice but to continue driving where he was driving. “The engine stopped. I went into shock and couldn’t do anything. The steering wheel locked up and I couldn’t get to the emergency lane.” According to him, the police report is wrong and the engine stopped just a few seconds before the accident.

The judge did not agree with that. He imposed 180 hours of community service on the driver, a suspended three-month prison sentence and a one-year driving ban.