ZandvoordeA serious accident on the A10 (E40) near Zandvoorde (Ostend) left one dead and three seriously injured on Saturday afternoon, including a child. A ghost driver collided with a camper, in the direction of Ostend. The occupants of the camper, people from West Flanders, were in mortal danger for a while. The highway was blocked for hours.
The wrong-way driver (31) collided head on at around 11.40 am with a camper van driving towards Ostend. That happened about 100 meters before the exit in Zandvoorde. The MUG helicopter and various ambulances arrived on the scene, but the 31-year-old wrong-way driver was no longer able to help. He died on the spot. Three occupants, including a child, suffered serious injuries in the motorhome. They were flown to the hospital in the MUG helicopter. Initially, the victims were in critical condition, but according to the federal police, that danger to life has since passed.
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According to the first findings, the 31-year-old man, a native of Ostend, would have entered the highway in Zandvoorde. About a hundred meters away he collided head-on with the camper. It was completely dismembered by the impact and ended up in the grass verge next to the highway. The occupants were carrying a white dog at the time of the accident. The animal panicked and ran away. The Ostend police launched a call on Saturday evening to find the dog, but shortly afterwards the redeeming message came that the animal had been found.
A tow truck arrived on site to remove the wreck with a crane arm. A traffic expert from the public prosecutor’s office is investigating the circumstances of the collision.
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As a result of the accident, the A10 towards the coast was completely closed to traffic. Drivers who were stuck in a traffic jam were able to turn around under the supervision of the police. If you have to go to Ostend, it is best to take a different route. Those who were still on their way to the City by the Sea from the interior were advised to take the E40 towards France in Jabbeke. Via the exit Gistel you could then reach Ostend via the Torhoutsesteenweg. Traffic from Antwerp and Ghent could also take the E34 towards Knokke and thus drive towards Middenkust. Just before 4.30 pm all wrecks were hoisted. The fire service removed the debris from the roadway, after which the highway was fully reopened.
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