According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the boat accident on the Stieltjes Canal near Coevorden, in which an 18-year-old passenger suffered a skull fracture and spinal cord injury, was caused by reckless sailing behavior by the 24-year-old skipper from Schoonebeek. A community service order of 200 hours and a sailing ban of 20 months have been demanded against the man.
The outing of the four friends on May 29, 2021 started at a beer brewery in Gramsbergen. There the men drank and ate before getting into the motorboat that had been purchased by two of them. The Schoonebeker steered the boat. He had no license. He had previously failed the exam.
The four men got on the boat from a terrace of a beer brewery in Gramsbergen. The man from Schoonebeek stepped behind the helm with some beers. The trip eventually went to Coevorden. They wanted to visit a friend there who lives along the water. But they did not reach the friend.
Things went wrong at the Pampert Bridge over the Stieltjes Canal. The 18-year-old man got up to take his cell phone out of his pocket. A little later, one of the friends shouted: “Arjan, sit down! A bridge!” But it was too late. The victim hit the back of his head against the low bridge.
The man’s skull and several vertebrae fractured from the impact. He was transferred by trauma helicopter to the UMCG in Groningen, where they feared for his life. A high spinal cord injury was also diagnosed in the hospital. The victim is completely paralyzed and dependent on care for the rest of his life.
A breathalyzer test showed that the skipper had consumed almost twice the alcohol limit. In addition, the 24-year-old suspect drove more than twice as fast as allowed. The Pampert Bridge has a maximum sailing speed of 6 kilometers per hour. Various statements show that the fast motorboat sailed at about 15 kilometers per hour. The public prosecutor even takes into account a maximum of 24 kilometers per hour that has been reached.
According to the prosecutor, the suspect does not feel guilty for the injury of his friend. “If Arjan had not stood up, this accident would never have happened,” the man is said to have said. He ignores his own actions, the prosecutor said. After the boat accident, the skipper told the police: “I wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel of a car”, referring to the amount of beer he had consumed.
This serious accident had happened because of his actions, the public prosecutor emphasized again. She believes that the suspect sailed inattentive and careless. The fact that the victim had stood up does not change that.
The victim is claiming damages of 1.5 million euros. The officer disagreed. However, two hundred thousand euros can be awarded in compensation, she thought.
The defense asked to acquit de Schoonebeker in part. He stood with his back to his friend who stood up. “He didn’t see it, or too late. That’s why he couldn’t warn him in time about the low bridge,” said the counselor.
The court will rule in two weeks.