Killer ghost driver was drink driving

4 April 2006

BRUSSELS — The ‘ghost driver’ who caused the death of himself and three others in a collision on 26 March on the A54 motorway at Luttre had been drink driving.

The Charleroi public prosecution office said on Tuesday tests had revealed the Frenchman’s blood contained 3g of alcohol per litre.

The man, of the northern French town of Fourmies, suddenly did a u-turn after a minor collision and drove against the flow of traffic on the A54 motorway.

One vehicle was able to narrowly avoid the oncoming car and came to rest in the road shoulder, but a head-on collision with another car led to the death of a Brussels family from Watermaal-Bosvoorde.

Pascale Van Mossevelde, 44, and her husband Johnny Penasse, 40, were killed instantly.

Their eight-year-old daughter Noémie died several hours later in hospital after initially falling into a coma.

The couple’s eldest son, Alan Panasse, 16, was not in the car at the time and is the sole surviving family member, newspaper ‘De Standaard’ reported.

His aunt, Elise Van Mossevelde, said it was pure chance that Alan was not involved in the collision.

“Normally, he would travel with the rest of his family to visit his grandfather in the Charleroi Hospital. But he chose to stay home for the football. That was his luck … although Alan doesn’t have anyone anymore,” Van Mossevelde said.

It had earlier been reported that the ghost driver, Marc Georges, 43, was driving without a licence. A court summons was also found in his car. He had been summonsed to a French court for speeding and unlicenced driving.

However, given the fact that he was also killed in the accident, the Charleroi public prosecutor will not initiate any legal proceedings against Georges.

Subject: Belgian news