According to eyewitnesses, a black Mercedes traveling from Jemeppe towards Huy along Quai du Halage was involved in an accident. The driver lost control of the car, hit a roundregarding, and crashed into a wall of a sports hall regarding 20 meters away. No injuries were reported other than the driver. The excessive speed of the vehicle may have contributed to the accident. The room was quickly evacuated, and no occupants were hurt. The staff of the local sports center will do everything possible to find solutions for the affected clubs which usually play in this Louis Melin room. It will likely be necessary to call an expert to determine the potential danger of the place in the coming days.
According to the first elements observed on the spot, the vehicle (a black Mercedes at the wheel of which was a man) was traveling from Jemeppe, in the direction of Huy, along the Quai du Halage. For a reason that will have to be determined, the driver lost control of the car, hit the roundregarding from which he took off and hit head-on one of the walls of the sports hall on the edge of the road regarding twenty meters away.
The vehicle then, under the importance of the shock, squarely crossed the wall and crashed on the ground, inside the sports infrastructure itself. If the places were visibly very busy at this hour, specifies the police zone of Flémalle, and that young people seemed to train in basketball, we regret fortunately no other injuries than the driver himself.
The latter, according to the first information, was severely affected. His days were considered in danger. Firefighters from the Liège rescue zone were called to intervene on the spot, in particular for an extrication. Operation which was ultimately not necessary, the agents having managed to extract the victim safely. The latter was supported by the Smur.
Around 8 p.m., the prosecution had not yet been notified of the fact. The excessive speed of the vehicle might appear as a first element of response to this impressive accident but, for the time being, nothing has obviously been officially confirmed…
A tragedy avoided
The room was of course quickly evacuated of all its occupants. “The car really pierced the sheet metal wall of the building,” explains a witness present on the spot. “It then came crashing regarding ten meters further, on part of the bleachers and a few centimeters from a structure of the complex. Luckily no one was there at the time. An hour earlier, there were regarding twenty children occupying this part. To speak of a miracle is even too weak… We dare not imagine what might have happened. We avoided a real tragedy! To tell you the truth, here, we tell ourselves that even in the movies we don’t see such things! »
The alderman of Sports of Flémalle, Fabian Pavone, went there. “The staff of the local sports center will do everything possible from this Friday morning to find solutions for the clubs which usually play in this Louis Melin room and which must end their season. The N1 futsal club, ADLS AC Flémalle, will not be able to play as planned this Friday evening. We will also try to find solutions with the neighboring municipalities to also allow the children to still have training because all the schedules of the sports halls are very busy. »
It will also probably be necessary, in the coming days, to call on an expert to determine the potential danger of the place. To be continued…
In conclusion, the accident that occurred in Flémalle was a shocking and dramatic event. Although the driver survived, the incident might have been much worse, and the fact that no one else was hurt is a miracle. The local authorities will now have to investigate the cause of the accident and determine the potential danger of the damaged sports hall. Meanwhile, the local sports center is seeking solutions to accommodate the clubs and children who regularly use the facility. Let’s hope that measures are taken to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
