The sound of tractors has been going through the marrow in some Schoorlaars since November 11th. A resident (68) on a bicycle is parked close to his care facility in the village hit from behind and dies. The driver (78) of the tractor is being prosecuted for the accident and is not allowed to drive vehicles for the time being, it appears today.
“I used to see him here every day, very happy on his red bicycle with a red jacket on. Then I said good morning to him and then heard him shout in threefold: good morning, good morning, good morning!”
Two ladies and their dogs are standing along the Wolphert van Brederodeweg in Schoorl. They look at the picture pinned to the tree with thumbtacks. A somewhat rain-soaked reminder of what happened three months earlier to one of ‘their’ Scorlewalders, because that’s what it feels like.
Friday afternoon November 11, around a quarter to four, the resident (68) cycles from the direction of his anthroposophical care institution on the narrow road to the center. Red frame, red panniers. Everything red, always.
He first overtakes a walking woman with a large turn. And she is then also overtaken – in her own words missed by a hair – by a tractor. In the high cabin, with a filled front loader, is the local breeder and trader CK (78).
On the retina
He always drives back and forth for hay for his horses, the women with the dogs tell NH Nieuws. Everyone pretty much knows the man. His home and business are nearby and the tractor rides are said to be notorious. “He once broke down a wall of mine. He always comes rushing by. I can hear him from afar.”
Whether the man overlooks the cyclist on the narrow road that afternoon is not yet entirely clear. But the walker sees right in front of her, past the big wheels of the tractor, that the bicycle of the resident of Scorlewald suddenly starts to swing.
He falls to the left, to the middle of the road. The tractor drives on for a while. It is forever on her retina.
Bystanders call 112 and a trauma helicopter lands in the meadow. But the aid workers can do nothing more for him: the resident of Scorlewald dies.
The day after the accident, a mountain of flowers appears along the road and there is a cross near the tree where the accident happened. “It was really a party for him here,” describes one of the women with the dogs.
The 78-year-old tractor driver is questioned by the police and his driver’s license is confiscated. During an interim hearing this morning in the court of Alkmaar, it appears that it is not yet entirely clear to what extent the Public Prosecution Service blames de Schoorlaar for causing the accident.
‘Previous traffic violations’
In the ongoing investigation, the police have already done a reconstruction on the Wolphert van Brederodeweg. One witness to the accident must also be heard again and it is awaiting a report from the CBR about the man’s medical situation.
In addition, it is still being investigated whether transporting hay bales in this way is permitted. CK was not present at the hearing. Neither did his lawyer, but he did say by letter that he was not yet making a request for a return of the driver’s license at this time. And this is also according to the wishes of the public prosecutor.
‘Residents of Scorlewald really belong to the village. They are one of us’
If it is up to her, the tractor driver will not get his driver’s license back at all until the substantive lawsuit. “Road safety should take precedence over the personal interests of the man. He has committed traffic violations before,” she said.
The investigation into the accident is expected to be completed within two months and a substantive hearing can then be scheduled.
Even his glasses were red, as can be seen in the photo on the tree. Below that hangs a star – of course also in that color. “I still think of him quite often. Especially when residents of Scorlewald go through my street on a tricycle, bicycle or on foot. They really belong to the village. They are one of us.”
This reconstruction was made possible thanks to the testimonies of three people (two of whom wished to remain anonymous), information from the police after the accident and facts discussed today at an interim hearing. Due to the privacy of the next of kin, we are not disclosing the name of the victim.