A tragic accident on January 8 claimed the life of a 12-year-old British boy and injured four family members when their BMW X5 crashed on the E40 motorway near Vernes, Belgium. The vehicle reportedly lost control and flipped onto its roof, with the boy being ejected from the car. The family of six included four children; one adult sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries while the others had minor injuries. Investigators are examining the roles of poor weather, hydroplaning, and speed in the crash, which was discovered via the car’s emergency alert system, as no witnesses were present.
A 12-year-old British boy has died and four other family members have been injured after a BMW crashes on a Belgian motorway.
According to Belgian media, the accident involving the boy and his family occurred around 1 a.m. on January 8 on the E40 motorway near Vernes in West Flanders, on the way to the French border.
The family’s BMW X5, which had British number plates, reportedly lost control and fell onto its roof between the motorway and the exit road.
“There were a total of six occupants in the vehicle,” local police said in a statement about the accident.
“One of them, a 12-year-old boy of British nationality, was thrown from the car and died from his injuries.”
The boy was one of four children in the car.
Investigators are looking into whether bad weather and “uncoordinated speed” were factors in the accident, the local prosecutor’s office said.
According to Belgian media, the accident involving the boy and his family occurred at around 1am on January 8 on the E40 motorway near Vernes in West Flanders, on the way to the French border.
The four family members escaped with only minor injuries, and one person sustained serious injuries, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. All five people are receiving treatment at the hospital.
The names of the British family involved in the accident have not yet been released.
According to local media, no one witnessed the accident and police were only notified thanks to BMW’s automatic emergency alert system.
‘T“Initial findings indicate that a combination of poor weather conditions, hydroplaning on the road, and uncoordinated speed may have been the cause of the accident,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
“No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The investigation continues.”
This is breaking news. More to come.
