A 23-year-old man from Groeningen has been given 100 hours of community service for a collision in Sambeek in which a 65-year-old man was seriously injured last year. The court in Den Bosch ruled this on Wednesday. His wife, who also fell, became an informal caregiver overnight.
The man had fractures to his face, a broken coccyx and thirteen broken ribs. But worst of all was the brain damage he suffered in the collision. The man fell into a coma and there were fears for his life. He recovered, but it turned out that he would never be the same again.
Memory affected
Both short- and long-term memory are affected by the impact on the road. Making new plans is therefore no longer possible, but it is also no longer possible, for example, to recall old memories.
His wife and daughter are now caregivers. They told the judges during the hearing that their future has been completely changed by the accident. Their husband and father can no longer function independently and need their help every day, just before he was due to retire.
Regret
The 23-year-old motorist from Groeningen has many regrets. Of course he didn’t mean the accident that way, but it happened anyway. The young man drove to work on March 5, 2025 at half past seven in the morning on his regular route and only drove 35 to 40 kilometers per hour on the narrow Heikant in Sambeek. He had already seen the man and his wife cycling in the distance and when a white van passed them, it was his turn to overtake.
But that went completely wrong. The young man did not steer far enough to the left and hit the 65-year-old man. He fell and was seriously injured. His wife also fell, but was only slightly injured.
Serious injury
The court ruled that the young man was at “the lower end of significant guilt”. On the other hand, the injury he caused is very serious, the court sees.
The court took into account that the young man needs his driver’s license for his work. His driver’s license is revoked for 180 days, of which 150 days are conditional. If he commits another driving error within two years, he will lose his driving license for longer.
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