Nathaniel H. (25) must receive 100 hours of community service because he killed a 25-year-old cyclist in Tilburg in June. The public prosecutor demanded this in court in Breda on Tuesday.
That evening, Nathaniel had gone from his hometown of Amstelveen to Tilburg to pick up his girlfriend. After a visit to friends, he drove out of the city shortly after one o’clock.
92 kilometers per hour
But on the Ringbaan Noord, the cyclist crossed at the intersection with Waalstraat. Nathaniel scooped it and Tilburger ended up on the street through the windshield and roof of the car. He died shortly afterwards in hospital from his injuries.
The public prosecutor mainly blamed Nathaniel for driving 92 kilometers per hour, while the speed limit is only 50. Nathaniel may have been driving on a major road, but if he had stuck to the speed, he would not have hit the cyclist.
“You are not automatically released if the other person makes a mistake,” the officer argued. “And it actually only became a traffic error by the cyclist because Nathaniel was driving too fast. The cyclist did not count on someone who was going almost twice as fast.”
‘Not seen’
“I’m shocked that I drove 92,” Nathaniel admitted to the judge. “I felt like I was just doing 50.”
“I did not see him. Suddenly he was sitting in front of me. I heard a crash and I saw him fly through the air,” the man from Amstelveen said about the collision. “I braked and I panicked. I immediately got out of the car to see how he was doing.”
The bicycle and the victim were tens of meters further down the road. The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but later died of his injuries.
‘Did his best’
After the accident, Nathaniel started talking to the family through a mediator. Thanks to a heated but good conversation, the cold had already disappeared during the hearing. The relatives of the Tilburg cyclist confirmed this in court and therefore had no need for their right to speak.
The public prosecutor took into account that Nathaniel did his best after the terrible accident. He took this into account and decided on a requirement of 100 hours of community service and a one-year conditional driving ban. Nathaniel will only receive that punishment if he makes another mistake.
The verdict in this case is on December 12.