1/4 Part of the house had to be boarded up (photo: Tom Berkers).
‘Hey, hey, time to enjoy a free evening and a nice glass of wine.’ But before the resident can sip his glass in the Graspeel, he already has a hangover. A van rams into his home on Friday evening, just outside the built-up area of Zeeland. “With a huge bang. I think a large part of my house needs to be repaired.”
On Saturday morning the resident, who prefers not to be named, can talk about it lightly. That was different the night before. Then he was speechless.
“I first thought of an aircraft from Volkel Air Base.”
“I live here with my family, but my wife and children were not there yesterday,” the man reflects. “So I was home alone and was just about to sit down when I heard a huge bang. I first had to think of an aircraft from Volkel air base, because it is close to here.”
It turned out to be a different kind of low flyer. The resident quickly noticed: “Someone had driven his van through the hedge surrounding our garden. He then came to a stop against the house. The wall was hit really well.” The damage is clearly visible. The house has been damaged in one of the corners and meters of cracks can be seen. The van had to remain parked until the house had been propped up, where necessary. This was done in consultation with someone from the insurance company.
“He was very tired and could hardly speak.”
The driver of the work van fled after the collision. Eventually the man returned to the spot where his car was still parked. But that didn’t happen automatically. A local resident immediately got into his car after hearing that the driver had fled. “I had to drive around for a while because I didn’t see him,” said Willem Bongers. “Once I found him, I spoke to him. He was very tired and could hardly speak.”
According to the police, it concerns a 43-year-old man from Heeswijk-Dinther, who was still in custody on Saturday morning. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The resident of the house heard all this, he did not speak to the neighbor or the driver of the car. “I don’t know the man who tracked him down. This is the Graspeel, the rural area of Zeeland. We don’t know everyone. But I am very happy with what he has done.”
“Luckily we can sleep there and we don’t have to go to a hotel.”
“The biggest concern now is the repair of our house. Fortunately, we can sleep there and don’t have to go to a hotel. I am afraid that a lot will have to be repaired and that this will take a while.”
The man has lived there for 33 years. “It was the first time this has happened to us. A motorcycle once ended up in the garden, but that has no relation to what has happened here now. One good thing: no one was injured.”
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