Flemish TV personality Tom Waes drove his car into a crash barrier in the Kennedy Tunnel in Antwerp late on Friday night. Fire-fighters had to cut the badly injured star out of his vehicle.
Waes was rushed to hospital where there were even fears for his life, but hours later came the news that he was no longer in danger. The crash barrier was in place ahead of works. No other vehicles were involved in the collision. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
A blood sample has been taken for analysis.
What we do know is that Waes only narrowly survived the accident. After being resuscitated at the scene, the 56-year-old presenter was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
‘Tom is conscious, breathing fully independently and has been able to speak to his family,‘ VRT sources, speaking at the request of Waes Family, said on Saturday afternoon. Under the circumstances, he is said to be doing well and has been able to speak to his family.
Later in the weekend Waes gave a first sign of life on social media posting a message on Instagram. In the message he thanked singer and fellow presenter Bart Peeters.
Bart Peeters is currently performing a series of 12 concerts at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp to celebrate his 65th birthday.
During Saturday’s concert, exactly on his 65th birthday, Peeters had asked his 7,000-strong audience to light up their mobiles. By doing so, Peeters wanted to wish his colleague Tom Waes a speedy recovery.