Trucker claims innocence in Nieuw-Beijerland tragedy

The Spanish truck driver who caused a fatal accident in Nieuw-Beijerland at the end of August said he is innocent in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Espanol. He said he had an epileptic seizure at the time of the accident. He said he could not remember what had happened.

On Tuesday, his lawyer Winston de Brouwer also said that an epileptic seizure probably caused the accident that left seven people dead. The 44-year-old Spanish man had epilepsy in his youth, De Brouwer said on the talk show Jinek, but had not had a seizure for a long time. “He follows the doctor’s directions and faithfully takes his medication.”

A court in Rotterdam released the man from pre-trial custody last week to await the case against him in freedom. The man had crashed his truck into a neighborhood barbecue in Nieuw-Beijerland, killing seven people, including a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had wanted to keep the man in pre-trial custody, claiming a risk of recurrence, but the court saw no danger of that. The court said it is “not important for the investigation that he remains in custody longer.”

In the interview with El Espanol, the man said he sees himself as a victim too. He could have died in the accident, he said. He said he would not be allowed to work as a truck driver while the investigation into the accident continues. His driver’s license has been confiscated.

The OM is appealing the decision to release the man from pre-trial detention. It is not yet known when the appeal will be heard.