2 dead, 5 injured in collision with wrong-way driver near Hooghalen
Two people died early Sunday morning in a collision involving a wrong-way driver on the A28 near Hooghalen. Five others were injured and have been hospitalized, according to the police.
Police found the driver who caused the collision speeding in the wrong direction down the A28 at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday. A car chase began when they tried to stop the 30-year-old man from Assen. Near Hooghalen, the wrong-way driver crashed head-on into an oncoming vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle, a 35-year-old woman from Leek, died on the spot. The driver of the car going the wrong way also died in the collision.
Five occupants in three other vehicles were also injured in the crash. The 67-year-old woman from Stadskanaal, a 68-year-old man from Stadskanaal, a 37-year-old woman from Musselkanaal, a 60-year-old man from Assen and 52-year-old woman from Assen were all taken to the hospital.
After the crash, the highway was closed for several hours so that police specialists could investigate the scene. The National Criminal Investigation Department was also notified, because a chase preceded the collision.
The collision is still being investigated. Police are calling on witnesses to come forward with any footage or information they might have of the wrong-way driver.
