{
    "title": "Deceased victim recent accident in Brasschaat is member of Van der Valk hotel family",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-18 16:12:38",
    "published_at": "2026-05-18 16:12:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/deceased-victim-recent-accident-in-brasschaat-is-member-of-van-der-valk-hotel-family",
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    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "deceased-victim-recent-accident-in-brasschaat-is-member-of-van-der-valk-hotel-family",
    "body": "<p><strong>The deceased victim of last weekend&rsquo;s accident in Brasschaat, Antwerp province, is a 16-year-old member of the well-known Van der Valk hotel family. The investigation into the circumstances of the accident is continuing.</strong></p><p>Martin, the 16-year-old who died in a car accident in Brasschaat last weekend, was the youngest son of the Van der Valk family, known for their hotel chain. &ldquo;Martin was a young man who always beamed,&rdquo; wrote Van Der Valk Hotel Drongen-Gent on Instagram. &ldquo;He was cheerful, warm and loved by everyone. He was preparing with heart and soul for a future in the hotel industry, a future that lay so brightly before him. That future was abruptly taken from him. And that leaves a void that words cannot fill.&rdquo;</p><div class=\"release-content-embed release-content-embed--rich release-content-embed--contained\" id=\"embed-a108c40f-8aa4-4921-9f39-29dec7bc4d33\"><div style=\"max-width: 660px;\"><div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 63%; padding-top: 284px;\"><iframe data-iframely-url=\"https://iframely.net/api/iframe?app=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FDYef2JpgWAP%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link%26igsh%3DNTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D%23_cb1779116234&key=8fe6cdec03482ac31f27a6ae8ea2fb3f\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><script async src=\"https://iframely.net/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script></div><p>The accident took place on Friday evening on Sionkloosterlaan in Brasschaat. During a family party, five young people aged between 14 and 17 went for a drive in an Audi Q7. It ended fatally: they crashed head-on into a tree. Martin (16) was killed, and the other four young people were seriously injured. They are now out of danger.</p><p>The investigation into the exact circumstances of the accident is still ongoing. The car in which the minors crashed, presumably at high speed, belongs to a family member. According to the public prosecutor&rsquo;s office, there is no evidence that the teenagers had permission to drive the car, reported De Standaard. The owner of the vehicle is yet to be questioned.</p><p>The question of whether the underage driver, who did not have a driving licence, was under the influence has also not yet been answered. The public prosecutor&rsquo;s office does not yet have the results of the investigation.</p><p>A book of condolence has been opened in Brasschaat. Among those who have already signed it is the current federal minister for Pensions and Finance, Jan Jambon, who knows the families well.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>#FlandersNewsService | Illustration &copy; BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR</sup></p>",
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
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}