A 60-year-old woman from Zeegse faces a fine of 1,500 euros for causing an accident in July 2024 in Donderen. In addition, the public prosecutor demanded a driving ban of three months.
The woman had not properly noticed the stationary white car on the N386, she told the judge. “I saw the car in a flash and crashed into it,” she said. The woman was looking at the navigation on her phone at the time, so she did not brake. The car she crashed into was a family with two young children.
A four-month-old baby suffered a hemorrhage between the skull and meninges. At first the child seemed to be fine, but was urgently admitted to hospital a few days later. The father suffered a broken wrist and the mother suffered whiplash, which still affects her every day.
The second child, a toddler, was also taken to hospital but escaped unscathed. The family was pre-sorted to turn. It was on the way to a restaurant in Norg to celebrate the mother’s new job. She was then able to accept that new job, she said in her victim statement.
The suspect only learned the consequences months later. “That touched me deeply, I feel responsible for that,” the woman told the judge. She has never been convicted before. The public prosecutor believes this must be taken into account. He believes that there was very careless driving.
The judge will make a ruling in three weeks.