In Leiden, the death of a 7-year-old girl last weekend is commemorated. She was hit by a bus on Saturday while cycling through the city with her parents.
“I spoke to the parents yesterday, that was the most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to have in my life,” Mayor Henri Lenferink told Broadcasting West. “The parents have seen it happen before their eyes. They are deeply saddened and have thousands of questions.”
Presumably the girl had to swerve from a sliding door of a car, causing her to get under the bus that was driving by at the time. Police are still investigating the accident.
The parents and the girl are not from the Netherlands. They live in Leiden because the mother works at the university. “It is incomprehensible if you imagine that you are going somewhere to work and that this is happening to you now,” says Lenferink.
Flowers and hugs
At the scene of the accident, agents, market vendors, bus drivers and passers-by have commemorated the girl with flowers and hugs. Many Leiden residents have seen the accident happen, it was busy in the city on Saturday. If you need help, you can contact Victim Support Netherlands.
A woman from Leiden has come to the site of the accident especially to lay a flower. “This should not happen, such a young child. I also have three grandchildren myself. It is unimaginable. It affects the whole city. It is very sad.”
A little further on is a father with his two children. “This hurts. This just really hurts,” he says. “This is very hard to grasp.” The man also laid out a bunch of flowers with his children. “The whole of Leiden is involved. The city is in mourning.”
Soufian Elmarsse, chairman of the Leidse Markt, agrees. “It was a black day. It is terrible what has happened here. Many colleagues have been through it and are in shock. We are all having a hard time with it.”
‘Too busy’
The market people have criticism in the municipality of Leiden. Due to the corona measures, the market in Leiden has been moved, so that the buses in the center also drive a different route. This would make it too busy and unclear.
Chairman Elmarsse says he has warned the municipality several times. “This is simply not possible. We have been sending photos to the municipality for weeks to show how things are going on Steenstraat, but so far there has been no response. We really need to get back to the Nieuwe Rijn as soon as possible.”
The mayor speaks of a “fatal accident”. “For now, let’s be quiet and sympathize with the grief of the deeply unhappy parents, relatives and friends.” Nevertheless, Lenferink does understand the criticism. “It is very understandable that bystanders are also emotionally affected by the events and that all kinds of questions arise about how it could have happened. However, for that we have to wait for the police investigation and not start speculating about the circumstances.”
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