Jail sentence and 10-year ban for coach driver after fatal crash
The police court in Antwerp has sentenced a bus driver to 30 months in prison, 18 months of which will be on probation, and a 10-year driving ban, after a fatal crash on a motorway north of Antwerp.
The driver, 37-year-old Bardad B from France, was also fined 8,000 euros. Three people died and several were seriously injured when he crashed his coach on the E19 two years ago. He tested positive for cannabis use but the judge did not find a proven causal link to the crash.
The BlaBlaCar bus, carrying 30 passengers, was travelling from Paris to Amsterdam on 10 April 2022. As it approached Schoten around midday, it deviated from its lane and crashed into concrete barriers. The vehicle overturned, hit a guardrail and came to a halt dozens of metres away.
Three people killed
17-year-old Loreleï Baylon from France and 28-year-old Colombian Andrés Felipe Rodríguez died at the scene. Last month, 20-year-old French man Ethan Magnier underwent surgery on injuries caused by the crash, during which complications arose. He died unexpectedly in hospital on 18 October. Other people were seriously injured, with some having to undergo amputations.
Bardad B suspected he had fallen asleep at the wheel and submitted a positive saliva test immediately after the crash. Blood analysis later confirmed that he had recently used cannabis. According to the prosecution, the accident was due to his drug use. B’s lawyer disputed that, however, and the judge found the causal link unproven.
“The accident happened because Bardad B fell asleep at the wheel. Because he had used cannabis several hours before the accident, it could not be scientifically proven that his driving ability was still impaired at the time of the crash,” the verdict read.
Previous driving ban
Het Nieuwsblad reports that Bardad B had previously been sentenced to four months in prison, suspended, and a four-month driving ban in France a year before the crash for driving under the influence of drugs. The prosecution had demanded four years in jail and a lifetime driving ban.
The verdict caused anger among the bereaved families, many of whom were present at the trial.
#FlandersNewsService | Emergency services pictured at the scene of the fatal crash near Schoten, Antwerp province, 10 April 2022 © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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