A 45-year-old Frenchman lost his life on Tuesday evening in the Quatre Bras Tunnel located in the Brussels ring, the Leuven prosecutor’s office reported on Wednesday. As his car broke down, the man decided to push it to the shoulder before being hit by another vehicle.
The accident happened around 10:10 p.m. Tuesday. The 40-year-old’s vehicle, which also included his wife and four children, broke down at the end of the tunnel. There was no hard shoulder at this location and the vehicle was in the middle of the road. The driver therefore tried to push his car a little further towards an emergency lane, in order to clear the way. However, at that moment, another vehicle emerged from the tunnel. Its driver did not see the immobilized car in time and crashed into it. The victim was crushed between the car and the concrete crash barrier.
The emergency services intervened quickly on the spot to try to resuscitate the victim, but the latter ultimately died on the spot. His family was taken to hospital for psychological treatment.
The other vehicle was driven by a 25-year-old woman who tested negative for saliva. She was slightly injured in the accident. The Leuven public prosecutor’s office dispatched a traffic expert on the spot, and according to his first findings, the driver was surprised by the car which she could not see in time.