Parents grieve children killed in school trip collision

The parents of three children who died when a car hit their school group in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Netherlands, have spoken publicly for the first time about the events of June 11th.

Evy, the mother of Sarah, Damian, and Olivia, and the other affected parents have maintained close contact since the tragedy. The children, all eighth-grade students, were travelling by bicycle with their teacher to a school camp when a 19-year-old driver collided with them on the N290 highway.

Sarah, Damian, and Olivia, along with their school director Joyce, died at the scene, and three other children sustained serious injuries. Evy recounted feeling a premonition after reading news of a serious accident on Omroep Zeeland while at work. She contacted the school and, receiving limited information, drove to the crash site as panicked messages flooded a parents’ group chat. Authorities held the parents back 700 meters from the scene, only allowing them to provide their children’s names to officials.

Evy learned of Sarah’s death when an officer confirmed her daughter had not survived. The parents described their children as bright and loving individuals. Sarah was a cheerful girl preparing for high school, Olivia was kind and outgoing, and Damian was gentle and passionate about Lego and Star Wars. The driver remains in custody, accused of causing the crash and resulting deaths and injuries. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled to take place in Breda.

The parents hope sharing their children’s stories will ensure they are remembered as individuals, not simply as victims.