A collision between a Tongeren man and a van occurred on Overhaem Avenue on Friday morning around 7.45 a.m. Local police in the Tongeren-Herstappe area closed the area. The Limburg public prosecutor’s office has been informed. The latter decided to send a traffic expert to Tongeren to investigate the circumstances of the collision.
Emergency services transferred the 45-year-old pedestrian in critical condition to hospital, where he died. The man appears to have been hit from behind by the van. The driver of the van was not speeding and was not intoxicated.
Our colleagues from HBVL learn more regarding the identity of the victim. This is Joel, a well-known man in the region of Tongeren. He was indeed the manager of the café and the party room “De Passerel”, which he had taken over three years ago, just before the start of the coronavirus health crisis.
“Joel was a man with an eternal smile on his face and a heart of gold. Someone who liked to have fun (…) He got into debt for his coffee, but did everything he might to recover,” comments a friend.
The victim was actually moonlighting as a delivery man at night to keep his business open. “It is tragic that this second job was fatal to him”.