A 49-year-old truck driver from Oude Pekela has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service for causing a serious accident on the Dordsestraat near Emmen. In addition, the man should also be given a conditional driving ban of six months, the public prosecutor believes.
In September 2021, the man drove a fully loaded car from Klazienaveen to Emmen. On the N862, the man drove towards an intersection on Dordsestraat. The road was under construction and there was a speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour. The truck driver drove towards the intersection at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour.
When the traffic light turned orange, the truck driver did not hit the brakes, but accelerated and drove through the intersection. At that moment a red light was on, other road users saw.
The truck struck a van. The driver of the bus suffered twelve broken ribs and a bruised heart. There was a moment of fear for the victim’s life.
It was a case of ‘it’s still possible’, witnesses later told the police. The truck driver was uninjured. He thought the light was still green.
According to research, there was nothing wrong with the traffic lights and that statement could not be correct. According to the public prosecutor, the accident was therefore caused by very careless driving.
“More alertness can be expected from a professional driver,” the prosecutor said. The man took big risks with his heavy load, she explained.
Instead of stopping, the man pressed the accelerator to be able to cross the intersection. “He did not want the accident. But his choice in traffic led to major consequences,” the officer continued.
The court will make its ruling on December 23.