The driver who hit a cyclist on Steenweg in Diepenbeek on Wednesday morning had drunk too much. The cyclist, a 56-year-old woman from Kortessem, died on the spot. The driver (27) fled on foot after the collision. He should have driven with an alcohol interlock, but this was not installed in his car. LRH police were able to find and arrest the escaped driver nearby.
The collision happened around 7 a.m., when it was still dark. A passenger car collided with a cyclist on the cycle path along the Steenweg in Diepenbeek. The emergency services rushed en masse. There was no further help available for the cyclist. The 56-year-old woman from Kortessem died on the spot. The driver abandoned his car and walked away. The police found him nearby.
The Steenweg was closed to traffic for a while, from the Rooistraat. — © Tom Palmaers
The 27-year-old man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. No alcolock had been installed in his car, although this was mandatory after a previous conviction by the police judge. The verdict of the police court dates from October 20, 2021. At that time, the twenty-something was given a driving ban on the one hand and an alcohol interlock on the other. The driving ban has already been implemented, the alcohol interlock was still in progress. The man was therefore only allowed to drive in a vehicle with an alcohol lock. “It is not yet clear whether the driver was driving his own car or someone else’s on Wednesday. This will be further investigated,” says Pieter Strauven of the Limburg public prosecutor’s office.
The Limburg public prosecutor’s office has sent a traffic expert to the scene of the accident to assess the situation and further investigate the collision.
At the time of the accident it was still dark and visibility was poor due to the rain. The Steenweg has cycle paths on both sides, in red asphalt.
More later.
© Tom Palmaers
