The accident happened around 6:45 am. The driver of the car came from the E17 and had taken the exit. At the end of it, however, he drove straight on. The vehicle crashed through the guardrail at high speed and then rumbled through the undergrowth
The man came from the E17 and took the Haasdonk exit. At the end of the exit, however, he drove straight on, straight through the crash barrier, to end up with his vehicle at the bottom of the Portugezenstraat. There the car eventually ended up on its side in the canal after which it caught fire. There were three occupants in the car: in addition to the driver, there are two young men aged 28. A passenger who was least seriously injured was able to pull the driver and the other occupant out of the wreckage before the car was completely engulfed in flames. They were then all three taken to the hospital in Antwerp. One of them would be in danger.