Executives acquitted in deadly Stint cargo bike case that killed four children
The court in Den Bosch has acquitted businessmen Edwin Renzen and Peter Noorlander of criminal charges related to the flawed Stint electric cargo bike. While prosecutors argued the pair brought the vehicle to market despite known technical issues, the court cleared them of responsibility for the 2018 crash in Oss that claimed the lives of four children. They were, however, found guilty of falsifying certain documents, but they will face no punishment for this.
On 20 September 2018, a childcare worker was taking five children to school in the Stint when she lost control of the cargo bike. She later said in interrogations that she was unable to brake. The bike ended up on the railway crossing at Oss-West railway station and was struck by a train.
Four children were killed. 8-year-old Dana, 4-year-old Liva, 6-year-old Fleur, and 4-year-old Kriss. 11-year-old Indy, Dana and Liva’s older sister, was seriously injured. As was the childcare worker. Both survived the tragedy.
The court ruled that while the Stint lacked certain safety features, such as an emergency stop, these were not legally mandated at the time. "In most instances, it has not been proven that the product was harmful," the court noted, concluding that the developers had not technically violated the law, even though the vehicle "could and should have been safer." The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has announced it's intention to appeal the verdict. “We fully intend to appeal the court’s ruling, which we view as disappointing," a spokesperson said.
The OM recommended prison sentences of five years and four months for two executives and fines totaling 360,000 euros for their companies, accusing them of negligence and forgery in bringing a flawed product onto the market in order to line their pockets.
Investigations determined the childcare worker who drove the Stint was not at fault, but did identify numerous defects on the cargo bikes, including failing batteries, malfunctioning throttles, removed emergency brakes, absent start-up protections, and inadequate mechanical brakes.
“It was not a question of if a terrible accident would happen, but when,” prosecutors said in court, citing multiple prior incidents in which Stints stalled at intersections, stopped near railway crossings, or ended up in ditches. The OM described the cargo bike as a “harmful product” and accused the executives of knowingly ignoring reports of malfunctions and accidents.
