Astrid* called the police on Thursday afternoon half an hour before the accident in which a 21-year-old woman died about mud on the Dinteloordseweg in Steenbergen. The combination with the rain made it very slippery on that road. Astrid’s car and a driver in front of her started to skid due to the slippery conditions. “My legs were shaking,” she says.
Astrid was driving along the Dinteloordseweg around half past four when a car started to skid in front of her. “The car started to skid and went towards a tree. Before I knew it, my car started to skid,” she says. On the road she saw a large trail of mud from the many tractors that drive on the 80 road.
“In combination with the rain, it was very slippery. I and the person in front of me got the car back under control, but my legs were shaking. I thought I would have to help someone else or have an accident myself,” says Astrid, still shocked.
“The slipperiness most likely has something to do with it.”
She decided to call the police to report the dangerous traffic situation. “I immediately called the general police number so they could do something with it.” When Astrid drives to her mother in Steenbergen a little later, she hears sirens. She reads in the news that a 21-year-old woman died in an accident in the exact same place where her car started to skid.
“Terrible,” she says. “Of course you don’t know what the cause of the accident is, but the slippery conditions most likely have something to do with it.” She hopes to be called back by the police on Thursday. “I don’t know if they did anything with my report, but this accident might have been prevented.
“My husband called in advance that there was mud, making it slippery.”
Mirjam* was also driving along the road around a quarter past four. “My husband called in advance that there was mud, making it slippery and that I had to pay attention. It was raining quite hard,” she says. Mirjam kept a grip on the road thanks to her large car. “But the car in front of me was skidding heavily. You are allowed 80 kilometers per hour on the N-road, but I was only driving 65 kilometers per hour.”
The car in front of her regained its grip and was able to continue, but it was a dangerous situation according to Mirjam. She saw the mud coming from the side path the Oudesluis, a road that ends at the Dinteloordseweg. At a side road a little further, the Zelleput, the city bus and the car involved in the accident came to a standstill.
The police confirmed on Thursday evening that the road was dirty and slippery. A spokesperson cannot say whether it is mud. According to her, it is also not clear when the slippery conditions became known to the police. Police specialists are investigating the accident.
*The names of Astrid and Mirjam have been changed. Their real names are known to the editors.