Driver takes own life after 18-year-old dies in car accident

An 18-year-old girl died and a 19-year-old girl was seriously injured in a car accident in Mechelen on Thursday night. The driver of the vehicle subsequently died by suicide, judicial sources confirmed. 

The accident happened at around 20.30 on the N15 motorway in the Belgian city of Mechelen. A speeding car hit the victims while they were riding an electric scooter. Whether they were on the same scooter at the time of the accident, remains to be investigated by a traffic expert.

Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene and attempted to resuscitate the 18-year-old girl, but she died from her injuries. The 19-year-old victim was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition, but has since stabilised.

The driver of the car fled the scene after the collision, but was traced using CCTV footage. Shortly afterwards, the car was found in Keerbergen, about 10 kilometres south-east of Mechelen.

At around 22.00 the same night, a 36-year-old man from Keerbergen died by suicide, according to the public prosecutor's office in Leuven. Judicial sources confirmed that the man in question was the driver involved in the fatal accident in Mechelen.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}