Elderly woman killed in collision with police vehicle in Winterswijk
An elderly woman was killed Monday morning when a police vehicle struck her mobility scooter on the N319 near the German border, authorities said.
The crash occurred around 11:10 a.m. on Kottenseweg, a major route connecting Winterswijk and Germany. The woman was crossing the road with her husband, who was also using a mobility scooter, when she was hit. Her husband was unharmed but witnessed the fatal accident. The couple reportedly lived in Germany.
A trauma helicopter was dispatched at 11:14 a.m., but it was later canceled. Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire department placed privacy screens around the accident site, and the N319 was shut down for an extensive investigation. Traffic was redirected through Vosseveldseweg, causing significant delays.
Initially, police in Gelderland stated that the Rijksrecherche, the national investigative agency, would handle the case. However, they later issued a correction on X, formerly Twitter, clarifying that the investigation would instead be conducted by the North Netherlands police unit. “The investigation is being carried out by a different unit because the East Netherlands unit is directly involved,” police said in a statement.
Authorities have not released further details about the cause of the crash, and the name of the victim has not been disclosed. A police spokesperson said the involved officers were not responding to an emergency at the time and that their vehicle had no lights or sirens activated. “As far as we know, the police vehicle was not speeding,” the spokesperson said. “However, let’s not get ahead of the investigation and draw premature conclusions.”
The incident has deeply affected the officers involved. “They are devastated,” the spokesperson added. “They are receiving support, and we will see how they want to proceed. Some may wish to return to duty quickly, while others may need time.”
This is not the first fatal accident involving Dutch emergency vehicles. According to the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety, there were 225 crashes involving emergency vehicles in 2022 and 2023, resulting in 79 injuries and one death. Police vehicles were involved in 153 of those incidents, making them the most frequently affected service. Most of these accidents occurred in urban areas.
