Trucker that hit block party killing 7 contradicts himself regarding epileptic seizure

Juan C.S., the 48-year-old Spanish truck driver who is accused of driving into a barbecue party at the ice club in Nieuw-Beijerland on August 27, 2022, does not think that he had an epileptic seizure before the accident. “When I have a seizure, I always know it is coming,” the suspect said. C.S. had said in the past that he did have a seizure during the accident. Seven people lost their lives due to the incident, including one unborn child. Seven other people were injured.

The court described the incident as a “dark day” during the start of the hearing. The suspect requested a recess shortly after he had been questioned by the court. According to his lawyer, C.S. had told her that he was completely lost. “He is dizzy. He just says things now and then,” she said.

Information from Spain shows that the last time that C.S. had an epileptic seizure was in 2019, and this came because he had not taken his medication. The driver said that he has always had pills with him for 28 years and that he takes them whenever he feels a seizure coming. He added that this is a rare occurrence.

However, a specialist still thinks that he had a seizure prior to the accident. When the court asked C.S. for his explanation for the accident he responded by saying: “I also don’t know how to explain this.”

The driver is said to have used cocaine at a party the weekend before he left for the Netherlands. During his arrest, police found a pipe used to smoke the drugs. He was also taking medication against a cold, which contained codeine. According to C.S., this leaves the same traces as cocaine.

An almost immeasurably small amount of cocaine was found in the suspect's blood. This no longer had any effect on his behavior, an expert concluded. There is, however, a connection between seizures and drug use. For example, C.S. had previously had seizures after using cocaine. He also allegedly skipped his medication several times and knew that this increased the chance of a seizure, according to an expert.

When the suspect spoke about the consequences that he experienced as a result of the incident he said: “In addition to all the victims, you could say that I am another dead person.” The comment led to an emotional response from the relatives in the courtroom.

It became apparent during the hearing that the truck had hit the victims at a speed of 31 kilometers per hour. Several witnesses stated that C.S. had been speaking to the driver of a delivery van shortly before the accident.

Data from the truck shows that it stopped at an intersection for 24 seconds and then drove in a straight line down the dike. In 7 seconds, the 16.5-meter-long vehicle reached a speed of 31 kilometers per hour and covered a total distance of 56 meters.

According to the driver of the van, the truck suddenly started moving, and C.S. was waving his arms. "He seemed very irritated, but it could also have been a seizure or an epileptic attack," the driver of the van stated.

Others testified how they found C.S. in his cabin after the accident. One witness described him as "apathetic" and heard snoring and coughing sounds. Another described him as a confused man "I had the idea that he had something, a psychosis or something, or had taken something."

The suspect was released a month after the incident and then left for Spain. The case has been set aside for four days. The sentence is expected to be pronounced next week.