The truck driver who died in an accident on the Brussels outer ring road (R0) this Wednesday morning was a 54-year-old man, said the Hal-Vilvoorde public prosecutor’s office. According to the traffic expert’s initial findings, the trailer hit the guardrail on the right side, which caused the tire to come loose and made the vehicle uncontrollable.
The accident occurred around 5 a.m. near the Diegem exit. The semi-trailer loaded with grain partially crossed the central berm.
“The driver of the semi-trailer, a 54-year-old man, died on the spot,” said Ingrid Moriau, spokesperson for the prosecution.
“No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The prosecution dispatched the technical and scientific police laboratory to the site and appointed a forensic doctor as well as a traffic expert. The latter’s initial conclusions show that the trailer hit the guardrail on the right side, which caused the tire to come loose. The vehicle then went out of control and headed towards the central concrete berm before completely overturning.”
The accident led to the total closure of the Brussels ring road for a period of time. Around 7:00 a.m., two lanes were freed on the Brussels inner ring road. The outer ring, however, remains completely closed to traffic. Traffic on the inner ring road remains disrupted from the Strombeek-Bever interchange, with approximately 45 minutes of additional travel time. On the outer ring, traffic jams start from the Quatre Bras tunnel. Vehicles are also stopped on the E40 Liège-Brussels before Heverlee.
