Driver gets community service for fatal crane collapse at Gelderland festival

The driver of a crane that collapsed at a vintage car festival in Oosterwolde, Gelderland almost two years ago, was sentenced to 240 hours of community service by the court in Zutphen on Thursday. One man was killed in the accident and 11 others were injured, many of them children.

The court in Zutphen ruled that the crane driver was careless and inattentive. The 48-year-old man was licensed to drive the crane, but not to poperate it.

The crane had five adults and eight kids in its platform when it collapsed at a vintage car festival in Oosterwolde in May 2015. It landed on a 48-year-old man, who died at the scene. The kids in the crane were seriously injured, as were three adults.

The Public Prosecutor demanded 240 hours of community service against the crane driver and a suspended prison sentence of six months. The court decided not to impose a suspended prison sentence, because there is no risk of recurrence.