The Spanish driver of the truck that crashed into a neighborhood barbecue in a town near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, on August 27, "most likely had an epileptic seizure at that time" and "remembers nothing" of what happened, as pointed out today by his lawyer, Winston de Brouwer.
The truck, which had the sign of the Spanish company 'El Mosca' printed on it, ran over a neighborhood event near Nieuw-Beijerland, a town in the province of South Holland and very close to Rotterdam, which claimed the lives of six people, including a young woman eight months pregnant, leaving seven injured.
The driver of the vehicle, a 46-year-old Spanish citizen, was uninjured and tested negative for alcohol and drugs, although he is still in preventive detention awaiting the results of a medical examination to which he was subjected to detect whether he had taken some type of medication that may explain the causes of the accident.
De Brouwer assured public television NOS that the accident followed "most likely an epileptic seizure", since the driver suffers from epilepsy and takes medication for this condition, which he also ingested as usual shortly before the accident occurred, around from 6:00 p.m.
"He does not remember anything about the accident and only has memories of the moment he was in a police car," said the lawyer, who stressed that his client had never had an epileptic seizure during his work.
The driver, from the city of Murcia, has been arrested after the accident on suspicion of causing a traffic accident with fatalities and has been incommunicado for the last week and a half, although this restriction was lifted yesterday afternoon, which allows the lawyer now make statements about the case.
“He has heard that he caused a serious accident, but has not had the opportunity to process it. Because he is in a foreign country, held in a police station, ”added De Brouwer, critical of the isolation of his client from his family.
Both the Police and the Netherlands Prosecutor's Office assured that they want to thoroughly investigate the causes of the accident to understand how the truck ended up running over the neighbors who participated in that barbecue, which was held near a dam, on which the truck passed.
The Dutch authorities have requested the collaboration of neighbors and bystanders who may have photos or videos to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy.
