The Spanish truck driver who drove into a neighborhood party in Nieuw-Beijerland in August 2022 has been demanded to serve 4.5 years in prison and a driving ban. In the drama, seven people died, including an unborn child. Several people were injured.
On August 27, 2022, an ice club in the South Holland village organized a barbecue party. Suddenly, a truck drove into the attendees after driving off a dike.
The Spanish driver Juan C. is being prosecuted for causing a traffic accident with fatal or serious injury through negligence. The driver is accused of not being authorized to drive the truck combination (tractor with semi-trailer) in question, knowing that he suffered from epilepsy.
After investigation, a Dutch neurologist concluded that the driver had an epileptic seizure just before the accident. As a result, he would have lost control of his body and the vehicle. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), it can be deduced that C. “did not take this disease seriously and therefore knowingly took risks.” The suspect would have had previous seizures after not taking any or insufficient medication.
Traces of cocaine were also found in his blood. According to the OM, it was a small amount. That did not have a direct influence on his driving ability.
But the OM accuses C. that he had previously been warned about the dangers of drugs with a view to an epileptic seizure. His last documented epileptic seizure had been on November 20, 2019. The indictment showed that he had also used cocaine and had not taken any medication prior to that seizure.
The OM demands the maximum sentence of 4.5 years in prison for causing a fatal accident without intent. “The suspect has at no time indicated that he understands what he did wrong,” writes the OM. “He does not seem to have learned from what has happened, as he has repeatedly asked to have his driving license returned in order to work as a driver again or to participate in traffic.”