The truck driver involved in a collision with a camper on October 7, 2023, is facing a community service sentence of 240 hours and a driving ban of twelve months, six of which are conditional. This is the demand from the public prosecutor against the 22-year-old suspect from Swifterbant. A woman, who was a passenger in the camper, died in the accident.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the truck driver ran a red light. He was driving on Hanzeweg and intended to turn left at the intersection to Ketelweg. The camper came from the opposite direction and went straight ahead, heading towards Dronten.
Driver Ran a Red Light
In such accidents, when determining the severity of the sentence demand, the degree of fault is considered. There can be ‘blameworthy negligence’, ‘(very) careless behavior’, or ‘reckless driving’. In the view of the OM, there was negligence in this case.
A traffic analysis shows that the traffic light for the truck driver had been red for over half an hour. The truck driver also did not properly check if the intersection was clear and did not give priority to the camper. “Moreover, this involves a professional driver who was familiar with the area,” explains the public prosecutor. “More can be expected from him than from an average road user.”
Great Loss
The consequences of the accident are enormous. “For the relatives, this is a great loss. They must continue living with the knowledge that their wife, mother, sister-in-law is no longer here, and that is intensely sad,” says the public prosecutor. “Their lives have changed forever.”
There are also consequences for the truck driver. “For the suspect, he never wanted this accident,” explains the public prosecutor. “He will have to live with the thought that someone lost their life in the traffic accident of which he was a part.”
Community Service and Driving Ban
When determining the sentence demand, it is also taken into account that the traffic light for the camper driver had just turned red. This man also has shared fault in causing the accident. “Shared fault on the part of the victim does not negate the fault on the part of the suspect,” states the public prosecutor. “If the suspect had acted differently, not run a red light, and given priority, the accident would not have occurred.”
Therefore, the suspect should receive a community service sentence of 240 hours, according to the OM. The OM also demands a driving ban of twelve months, six of which are conditional.
The court will issue its verdict on April 2.