Prosecutors recommend 4.5 years in prison for truck driver who killed 7 in accident

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended four and a half years in prison on Wednesday and a driving ban of seven years against the Spanish truck driver who drove into a barbecue party of the ice club in Nieuw-Beijerland on August 27, 2022. Seven people lost their lives in the accident, including an unborn child. Another seven people sustained injuries in the incident.

The OM blames Juan C.S. that he was driving the truck even though that was not permitted due to his suffering from epilepsy and, therefore, he should not actually have had a truck driving license. The prosecutor thinks that the suspect lied about his seizures and his medicine usage. He had also not taken his medication properly and is said to have used cocaine a maximum of 48 hours before the accident, even though the driver had been warned of the dangers, the Public Prosecution Service said.

“The suspect took incredible risks by driving the truck, and these risks manifested themselves on an enormous scale on August 27, 2022,” the prosecutor said. This was the reason that she recommended the highest possible sentence.

The suspect is said to have been dealing with epilepsy for 30 years and was aware of the risks that comes with not taking the medication. "He was not very strict about taking his medication." He was also caught driving under the influence of drugs several times. "He ignored the warnings of those fines and of a doctor." In doing so, he is accused of deliberately endangering road safety several times, according to the Public Prosecution Service.

According to the OM, the 48-year-old C.S. suffered from an epileptic seizure shortly before the accident. “This caused him to lose control of the truck and drive off the dike," the prosecutor said.

An investigation proved that the truck had come to a standstill before it accelerated and hit the people at the party. The truck did this at a speed of 31 kilometers an hour. Most of the victims died instantly.

"Saturday, August 27, 2022, is etched in the memory of so many as a pitch-black day," the prosecutor said about the impact. "All of this was caused by the actions of the suspect, who has not taken responsibility in any way."

The driver has said to have no recollection of the incident. He said during the hearing last week that he was sure that he did not suffer an epileptic seizure, while he had previously said to police that he did have a seizure.

The case will continue on Thursday with arguments from the suspect’s attorney.

The victims' relatives feel that the Public Prosecution Service's demand was "appropriate", said their lawyer Yvonne van der Hut after the hearing. "They hope that this punishment will be imposed. During that punishment, the suspect can think about what he has done," said Van der Hut. However, her clients would have preferred that the OM recommended a lifelong driving ban, she added.