Spanish truck driver sentenced to 3 years for deadly block party crash that killed seven
A Spanish truck driver who drove his vehicle off a dike into a barbecue gathering in Nieuw-Beijerland in 2022, killing seven people including an unborn child, was sentenced Thursday to three years and two months in prison and banned from driving for five years, NOS reports.
The Rotterdam District Court ruled that Juan C.S., 48, suffered from epilepsy and should never have been operating a truck. The court concluded he experienced an epileptic seizure during the crash on Aug. 27, 2022. C.S. was not present in court for the sentencing.
Prosecutors had sought four and a half years in prison and a seven-year driving ban. The sentence was ultimately lower because the court acquitted the driver of driving under the influence.
The truck veered off the dike in Zuidzijde, near Nieuw-Beijerland, and struck members of the local ice club who had just begun their barbecue. The victims ranged in age from 28 to 75. Six adults and an unborn child were killed, and seven others were injured.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, C.S. suffered a seizure shortly before the collision. “As a result, he lost control of the truck and drove off the dike,” the prosecutor said. Authorities argued that C.S. was prohibited from driving due to his condition.
Investigators concluded that he had not taken his medication properly and had used cocaine in the period before the crash, which may have increased the risk of a seizure. Authorities also accused him of lying about his epilepsy and medication use. The driver reportedly used cocaine at a party the weekend before traveling to the Netherlands. During his arrest, police found a pipe used for smoking drugs. He was also allegedly taking medication for a cold that contained codeine, which, according to C.S., can leave the same traces as cocaine.
C.S. had previously told the court he did not remember anything about the incident but denied suffering a seizure. His defense attorney argued he was under treatment, took his medication as prescribed, and had been free of attacks for years.
Relatives of the victims blamed him for taking the wheel despite his illness. “The defendant took the risk of endangering others every single day he went to work,” said Sander Koot, whose father was killed in the crash.
