Taking her husband’s car for a test drive in Breda went horribly wrong in the summer of 2022. During that test ride, a then 61-year-old woman from Berkel-Enschot hit a 90-year-old cyclist, who later died in hospital. The woman told the court in Breda on Tuesday that she panicked. “Where is that brake?”
Total panic, that beautiful sunny July 29 on the Ulvenhoutselaan in Breda. Her husband had just parked the Renault Captur, which they were allowed to try out, so that the woman could also drive. They switched sides and when the woman wanted to start driving, things immediately went wrong.
The car suddenly started moving onto the cycle path and the woman did not understand what was happening. “I was surprised, the car should not have started moving yet,” she told the judges. The car bumped onto the cycle path and accelerated. The woman panicked and shouted, “Where is that brake?” Witnesses saw the woman frozen and panicking with her arms outstretched behind the wheel.
The woman saw a car coming towards her and turned left onto the cycle path, where a 90-year-old cyclist was riding at the time. It landed hard on the windshield, after which the car continued to drive for another 200 meters before it finally came to a stop on the other side of the road.
“Everything is different in such a new car.”
The woman told police immediately after the accident that she had pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, and witnesses also stated this. And that turned out to be fatal for the very elderly cyclist. He died in hospital a day after the accident.
The woman could not remember everything about the accident in court. “I was nervous about driving a new car,” she said. And maybe she should have gone for a test drive in a quieter place, she acknowledged. “I used to drive my husband’s automatic, but everything is different in a new car. I couldn’t even find the handbrake. I don’t even remember how I finally stopped.”
“I would have liked to have him with me for a few more years.”
The daughter of the deceased man is still very sad about the death of her father, she told the judges. She brought a photo of her father to show those present. “At 90 years old, he was still very fit. He walked and cycled a lot. I would have liked to have him with me for a few more years.”
“The lady continued to ride on the cycle path and not into a garden.”
The public prosecutor saw the sadness of all parties, but still had to formulate a punishment, he said: “The lady did not get up in the morning with the idea of killing someone, but she did make mistakes by using the wrong pedal. to keep pressing it and keep riding on the cycle path and not into a garden, for example.”
He believes that the woman therefore deserves punishment for the mistakes and wrong choices she made. He demanded 60 hours of community service. In addition, as far as he is concerned, the woman is not allowed to drive a car for six months. As a stick behind the door, he demanded another six months’ probation if she commits another crime.
The verdict in this case is on March 12.