A 38-year-old motorist from Ruinerwold caused a serious accident on the Haakswold in his hometown in July last year. He drove his car onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with a Volkswagen coming from Meppel.
The Volkswagen was driven by a woman from Ruinerwold. There were three children in the car with her. One of the children suffered serious injuries and the woman was also injured. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the 38-year-old man from Ruinerwold is to blame for the accident because he drove noticeably carelessly. This became apparent in the court in Assen on Tuesday.
The man, who was also in the car with three children, stated that shortly before the collision he saw a danger to his youngest child in the back of the car. “My son’s head got stuck between the bracket of the Maxi-Cosi. I put my right arm back and pushed my son back into place. At the time it seemed like the best solution to me.”
The suspect lay down on the roadside
Shortly after or during that action, the man must have partly ended up on the wrong side of the road, according to his own statement. This was followed by a collision with the car containing the woman from Ruinerwold, her two daughters and a friend of her children. There was considerable havoc and the emergency services responded en masse due to the large number of injured people.
The suspect himself and his children were also injured. According to the victim, after the collision the man lay down on the side of the road with his knees drawn up and his hands next to his head. He grabbed her and said: “I have done something terrible. Forgive me.”
The public prosecutor questioned his story about the child in the Maxi-Cosi. “How can that head get between the bracket of the Maxi-Cosi?” the officer asked. The man: “How is that possible? No idea.” The officer pointed out to the suspect that his actions had actually endangered his children. “Why didn’t you wait until you could stop? It wasn’t that dangerous after all.” The man stated that he saw his child in danger and responded accordingly.
‘Slap my face’
The woman suffered a concussion, bruises and bruises in the collision. One of her daughters also had bleeding and bruising. In her victim statement she said: “Everything was normal, in fact I finally had my life back on track after a number of very difficult years. On July 1, 2022, I got into the car with the three girls after we had been to Meppel to buy a gift for their report card. After 7 minutes in the car and a huge bang, my world stood still and it still stands still.”
The resident of Ruinerwold believes that her fellow citizen keeps putting herself in the role of victim. “Even during the second mediation meeting I experienced that it was all about you. You asked if I would ask the Public Prosecution Service to refrain from pursuing a criminal case, so that your job is not in jeopardy. I may be out on the street in six months, because I will then be ill for two years. The dream I had of working as a nurse again is gone forever. I am still recovering in a rehabilitation clinic, so your conclusion that I have recovered so well is a real slap in the face for me.”
Community service and conditional driving ban
According to the public prosecutor, the man was guilty of causing an accident that resulted in serious injuries. “There is more going on than a single traffic error. A dangerous act was committed by reaching backwards towards the child. It is particularly annoying for the victim that it is not entirely clear what the situation is with the Maxi-Cosi.” The suspect, who has no criminal record, has been sentenced to 60 hours of community service and an eight-month conditional driving ban.
His lawyer stated that the man had only had a moment of inattention. She also believes that there was no serious physical injury to the victim.
Pronunciation: December 22.