A former Alderman in the East Flemish town of Oudenaarde has been given a 6-month suspended prison sentence, fined 4,000 euro and given a 1-year suspended driving ban after he was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of a cyclist. Mathieu Mas was an Alderman for Iedereen9700! a local list made up of Christian democrats, socialists and independents.
6-month suspended sentence for former Town Alderman that killed cyclist while driving drunk
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He was not only driving to quickly but also was over the legal alcohol limit when he collided with a 22-year-old cyclist. The cyclist. The cyclist, whose bike was poorly lit, was under the influence of cannabis and had failed to give priority to the car.
The accident happened in October 2023 on the Aalststraat in Oudenaarde. Mr Mas was found to be 3 times over the limit for alcohol and was also speeding when the accident happened. This was confirmed by 2 road traffic accident accident experts. One said that Mr Mas was driving at 75 km/h on a road with a 50 km/h speed limit.
Poorly lit and stoned
The cyclist’s bike was poorly lit and he was wearing dark clothing. He also had headphones on. Although he should have given priority to Mr Mas’ car at the crossroads, he failed to do so. Moreover, he was under the influence of cannabis.
The judge said that the accident could have been avoided if the cycling had been riding with due care. The judge sentenced Mr Mas to a 6-month suspended prison sentence, a 1-year driving ban (half of which suspended) and a 4,000-euro fine also half of which suspended.
Mr Mas must also pay more than 100,000 euro in compensation to the civil parties in the case. After the accident Mr Mas resigned as Alderman. His group is now in the opposition on Ouderaarde Council and he is currently a town councillor.