Child dies and four people suffer severe injuries in A28 car crash near Beilen
A child has died and four other occupants were severely injured after a Volkswagen passenger car left the road and caught fire at the A28 motorway exit near Beilen on Sunday morning.
Fatal crash on the A28 at Beilen
A single-vehicle traffic collision occurred on Sunday morning, 13 September 2026, along the A28 motorway near the town of Beilen in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Emergency services received initial alerts at approximately 08:50 local time after a black Volkswagen passenger car lost control while navigating a bend on the junction slip road. The vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree head-on at the exit. Following the heavy impact against the tree, the car caught fire. Five occupants were inside the vehicle at the moment of the crash, including two adults and three children. One of the three children died directly at the scene from fatal injuries before emergency responders could provide lifesaving aid. The collision resulted in heavy front-end damage to the car before flames spread through the cabin.
Emergency rescue and medical transport
The scale of the accident triggered a mass mobilization of regional emergency services to the A28 junction. Dispatchers deployed four fire engines, eight ambulances, two medical trauma helicopters, and numerous police units to assist the victims. Firefighters extinguished the vehicle fire upon arrival and worked rapidly to extricate the five individuals from the cabin. Paramedics and trauma doctors treated the four surviving occupants at the roadside for severe injuries before transporting them to regional hospitals. Medical teams coordinated ambulance transfers to ensure specialized emergency care for the severely injured survivors. Police authorities confirmed that the four hospitalized victims comprised two adults and two children, though their specific identities, ages, and conditions were not immediately released to the public.
- Ambulances
- 8
- Fire engines
- 4
- Trauma helicopters
- 2
On-scene operations and public cordon
Authorities closed both the on-ramp and off-ramp connecting the A28 motorway to Beilen to facilitate the emergency response and protect the site. First responders set up mobile visual privacy screens around the perimeter of the wreckage to shield the crash scene from view. Approximately two hours after the collision, a hearse arrived at the cordoned-off motorway slip road to recover the body of the deceased child. Several onlookers gathered on the parking lot of a nearby casino overlooking the junction to watch the emergency operation unfold. Police noted that none of the individuals gathered at the parking lot had witnessed the initial impact. Emergency crews maintained the visual barriers throughout the morning to prevent disruption to investigative procedures.
- Emergency services receive reports of a car leaving the road and striking a tree
- Firefighters extinguish the car fire and rescue five occupants from the vehicle
- A hearse arrives at the cordoned A28 exit to recover the deceased child
Police investigation and community reactions
Specialist police collision analysis teams opened an investigation to determine the exact mechanical or driver factors that caused the car to leave the road. Investigators remained at the junction throughout Sunday morning to document physical evidence, examine the bend, and evaluate the burnt wreckage. The severe incident left an emotional impact on first responders working at the site. A local woman who arrived at the casino lot to observe the trauma helicopter described seeing multiple firefighters who appeared visibly distressed and overwhelmed by the rescue effort. Another resident arrived on a bicycle after hearing the aircraft overhead, expressing shock upon learning that a child had lost their life in the crash.
