Dutch teenager injures 3 in Belgian crash after 300km joyride
A 14-year-old who had escaped an institution in Groningen crashed a van head-on into traffic near Antwerp on Tuesday, injuring himself and 3 others.
A 14-year-old boy who had escaped from an institution in Groningen, the Netherlands, crashed a Dutch-registered van head-on into oncoming traffic in Burcht, near Antwerp, on Tuesday afternoon, injuring himself and 3 other people, Dutch newspaper HLN reported. Local police and the East Flanders prosecutor's office confirmed the crash.
The boy had already driven more than 300 kilometres from Groningen when the collision happened in the early afternoon on the Krijgsbaan, near the on and off ramps of motorway E17 and close to a military barracks in Burcht, HLN reported. Witnesses told the newspaper the van was weaving through heavy traffic at high speed, coming from the direction of Melsele, and alerted police before the crash happened.
The van first lightly struck one oncoming vehicle, then rammed a car ahead of it before colliding head-on with a third car and another van, RTL Nieuws and AD reported. Five vehicles were involved in total, and the damage to the vehicles was extensive, according to HLN. The 2 occupants of the car struck head-on were seriously injured and had to be freed by firefighters, though they were not in life-threatening condition, AD reported. The other drivers involved were unhurt.
The teenager was also injured but managed to climb out of the van unaided and was taken to hospital under police escort, RTL Nieuws reported. Breath and saliva tests for alcohol and drugs came back negative, police said.
It was not immediately clear what kind of institution the boy had escaped from in Groningen, HLN reported. The Krijgsbaan was closed to traffic for some time afterwards while firefighters cleared debris from the carriageway and several damaged vehicles were towed away from the scene.
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What we know
- A 14-year-old who had escaped an institution in Groningen crashed a van head-on into traffic in Burcht, near Antwerp, on Tuesday afternoon, HLN reported.
- The boy had driven more than 300 kilometres before the crash, which involved 5 vehicles in total.
- The 2 occupants of a car hit head-on were seriously injured but not in life-threatening condition; the teenager was also hurt but walked free of the van.
- The teenager tested negative for alcohol and drugs and was taken to hospital under police escort.
- It is not yet known what kind of institution the boy had escaped from.
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The crash shows how a single underage runaway driving an unlicensed, unregistered journey across an international border can put multiple road users at risk hundreds of kilometres from where it began. It closed a main road near Antwerp for hours, required a fire-brigade rescue of trapped car occupants, and tied up Belgian emergency services and police who had to establish, with the help of Dutch outlets, where the driver had come from and why.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- HLN: 14-jarige ontsnapt uit instelling in Nederlandse Groningen en botst in Burcht frontaal op tegenligger
- RTV Noord: 14-jarige joyrider uit Groningen veroorzaakt frontale botsing vlak bij Antwerpen
- AD: 14-jarige ontsnapt uit Nederlandse instelling en botst in België met bestelbus frontaal op tegenligger
- RTL Nieuws: Jongen (14) ontsnapt uit Nederlandse instelling en veroorzaakt ongeluk in België
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Where and when did the crash happen?
- On the Krijgsbaan in Burcht, near Antwerp, Belgium, in the early afternoon on Tuesday, HLN reported.
- How many people were hurt?
- 3 people were injured in addition to the 14-year-old driver: 2 car occupants seriously, though not life-threateningly, and the teenager himself.
- Where had the boy travelled from?
- He had escaped from an institution in Groningen, the Netherlands, and driven more than 300 kilometres before the crash, according to HLN and RTL Nieuws.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.