A 20-year-old motorist from Almere was sentenced to 150 hours of community service after crashing into a lamppost and a tree on Jac. P. Thijsseweg in Almere on 9 October 2025. He also received a 12-month driving ban, with six months suspended for a three-year probation period; time during which his licence was already confiscated will be deducted.

The court found that he had driven at least 100 km/h in a 50 km/h area before losing control near an escape hill. The Volkswagen split in two after the collision. His passenger suffered a ruptured spleen and collapsed lung but recovered without surgery. The court did not consider the injuries legally to constitute serious bodily harm and said it could not establish that the car had reached 175 km/h. It cited the driver’s earlier fine for a serious speeding offence and his limited insight into his behaviour in setting a penalty above the 120 hours sought by prosecutors.