Suspected drunk driving crash leaves one dead, one hurt in Breda

The passenger of a car was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Breda during the early morning hours on Saturday. The driver of that car was also injured, and was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, while the driver of the second car managed to escape unharmed.

Ravage en gewonden op kruising in Breda na zware botsing https://t.co/3CaeWp436H pic.twitter.com/6L1wLmySzO

— BN DeStem Breda (@BNDeStemBreda) August 19, 2023

The crash happened at about 2:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mastbosstraat and Graaf Engelbertlaan in the city’s westside Princenhage neighborhood. An 18-year-old driver told police she was beginning to accelerate into the intersection on Mastbosstraat when things went wrong.

“When she got the green light, she accelerated, but immediately saw out of the corner of her eye that a car was approaching from the left at high speed,” police said. The second car is believed to have blown through a red light, striking the 18-year-old’s vehicle.

The passenger of the second car was ejected from the vehicle in the violent crash. The person later died from their injuries, police said. The driver of that car, a 33-year-old man, was seriously wounded.

A large number of first responders were sent to the scene of the accident, records show. A trauma team was dispatched in a helicopter, along with a large number of paramedics, firefighters, and police officers.

Police placed the 33-year-old into custody, saying in a statement that he “drank too much alcohol.” The 18-year-old woman from Bavel who was driving the other vehicle was not harmed.