Dentergem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A young man from Oeselgem near Dentergem drove his car into the Leie River at night. The man escaped his car and successfully reached the shore. The vehicle stayed in the Leie River after the incident. The young man waited until this morning to inform the police about the traffic incident.
A young driver ended up in the Leie River with his vehicle late at night near Dentergem in West Flanders’ Belgian province last night and did not contact authorities until this morning. The driver lost control by error while navigating an unpaved road toward the water at approximately 2 a.m.
The man avoided injury by getting out of the car to reach safety after swimming to shore while his vehicle sank underwater. The fire brigade retrieved the sunken vehicle following their river search operation, which briefly stopped all navigation on the Leie.
According to this individual, he took his vehicle into a narrow roadway connecting Brugstraat with Heuvelhoekstraat and the Leie. The car sank due to the driver’s mistake of using an unfinished road as their destination until they reached the river. Immediately following the car crash, the man returned to his residence before filing an incident report.
The fire brigade launched their search operation early in the morning to locate the submerged automobile, which had moved away from its original position. Ships had to navigate around the Leie after recovery teams retrieved the sunken vessel.
What is the history of the Leie river and road safety in Dentergem?
Belgium‘s main waterway, the Leie River, exists as a 202-kilometre corridor, which enables crucial shipping services across its territory. West Flanders town Dentergem serves as a Leie River waterfront municipality with attractive surroundings, yet risky driving hazards occur near its waters.
The riverfront location of the Brugstraat and Heuvelhoekstraat intersection makes direct access to water possible through these unsmooth pathway routes. Local authorities confirm the Leie River has witnessed previous vehicle accidents, though official counting data about such incidents remains scarce. Water-related emergencies require the fire brigade to commit substantial assets, as shown by the extended shipping traffic delay in this incident.
