Driver facing 8 years in prison for killing elderly couple in Rotterdam hit-and-run

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 8 years in prison with institutionalized psychiatric treatment and a driving ban of 10 years against a 37-year-old man accused of killing an elderly couple in a hit-and-run accident in Rotterdam last year.

The incident happened on the Maasboulevard in Rotterdam on September 3. The victims, aged 79 and 74, were in Rotterdam for the World Port Days. They were crossing at the zebra crossing on Maasboulevard at a green light when a delivery van hit them at very high speed. They both died at the scene.

The driver stopped the damaged van near the old Tropicana and fled on foot. The next day, he showed up at a police station to report his delivery van stolen. The police arrested him.

According to the OM, the investigation showed that the suspect had gotten into the van angry after an altercation with his mother and under the influence of alcohol and narcotics. Before the hit-and-run, he performed various dangerous maneuvers in the Maastunnel, had to make an emergency stop and hit several traffic cones upon leaving the tunnel, skipped multiple traffic lights, and drove much too fast. He hit the couple going at around 100 kilometers per hour. The speed limit on the Maasboulevard is 50 km/h.

The authorities also intercepted conversations in which the man indicated that he was indeed the driver. He eventually admitted that to the police, too.

The OM asked the court to sentence the man to institutaionlized treatment in addition to prison. Examination at the Pieter Baan Center showed that the man has a personality disorder with antisocial traits and is heavily addicted to alcohol and drugs. “The chance that the suspect will commit such a crime again without treatment is extremely high,” the OM said.