An accident with unbelievable consequences, said the police judge in Zwolle to a 22-year-old man from Oosterwolde, who collided with the oncoming car of lawyer Willem Bierens near Beilen on 16 February 2020. Bierens was so seriously injured that he can no longer practice his profession.
That morning, road users were warned of Storm Dennis, which was sweeping across the country. Due to the strong wind gusts and rainfall, code yellow was issued. Bierens was on his way to the police station in Assen when another car hit him on the Friesland route.
The man from Oosterwolde was on his way to Emmen with his nephew. The young driver lost control of his car due to aquaplaning and ended up on the wrong side of the road.
At the time, the man was driving 90 to 100 kilometers per hour. “The maximum speed on that road,” he told the judge. He felt he couldn’t help being aquaplaned. “I could no longer brake. This could have happened to anyone,” said the suspect.
The judge thought otherwise. By law, everyone is obliged to maintain control over their vehicle, even in special circumstances. That day there were special weather conditions. “That means you have to adjust your speed accordingly and you didn’t,” the judge said.
The investigation also showed that the tires on the suspect’s car still had just enough tread. This can also be a reason that the man has started to skid faster. The judge is convinced. that the 22-year-old man would not have wanted this accident. “The intentional cause of the accident is not an issue, but you can be blamed for it.” The judge sentenced him to 60 hours of community service and a six-month suspended driving license. The man had a brass knuckle in the car. This is a crime, for which he has to pay a fine of 225 euros.
The man himself suffered minor injuries as a result of the accident. His nephew had more serious injuries. Bierens suffered a broken left leg and foot. He hadn’t realized at first how serious this injury was. “Is this necessary, is this necessary for my car?”, the lawyer said to the firefighters when they saw him out of the car. After a long rehabilitation it turned out that he could no longer handle his profession mentally. Due to concentration problems, he can no longer do as much work as he did before. His career ended abruptly at 62. “I wanted to continue until I was 70”, Bierens said afterwards.