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| Translation | Maandag 20 augustus 1962 | |||||
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Saturday afternoon at 10 minutes past two Captain Ole Jensen took off with his four engined De Havilland from Eelde Airport and with that started the journey home of the three Swedish victims, who on August 4th had been involved in a serious accident on Rijksweg (Highway) 42 near Winschoten.
Thankful for everything.
On 4th August, 50 year old Mr Olsson from Norrköping, Sweden, drove his car from the Beersterbrug (A bridge spanning the Winschoten Canal) onto the highway not realising he drove onto a major road, with that he forgot to give way to a German car coming from the left. A heavy collision happend and mr Olsson's car ended up in the shoulder ditch. It took a lot of effort to pull mr Olsson, his 46 year old wife, the little son Claes and the seated in back of the car couple mr and mrs Andersson from the destroyed car onto the dry since the car started to make water.
70 year old
mr Andersson died on arrival in the hospital of Winschoten. The other
members of the group were still alive and after being taken care of by
Winschoten surgeon J. H. Hommes slowly recovered from their sustained
injuries.
On August 12th youthful Claes Olsson was allowed to fly back to Sweden.
Saturday afternoon his parents and 48 year old mrs Andersson followed.
The trip from Winschoten to Eelde Airport was made by Ambulance (mrs Olsson
hadn't recovered completely from a fracture of the skull base injury.)
The Ambulance plane had landed at Eelde in a fog (only 1,500 meters clear
sight and clouds at 60 meters altitude) at half past noon. Mrs Olsson
was carefully lifted by the ambulance drivers D.M.T. de Grooth and A.
Ekamper on to the plane-stretcher. Moments later, under the watchfull
eye of Dr Hommes MD was she lifted onboard of the plane.
Moved
A
touched mr Olsson once again thanked us all whom had taken care of him
and those close to him.
He stated
that he was deeply impressed of the treatment he had enjoyed while having
to stay in Winschoten. he also ensured us "Although I at first planned
never ever to set foot in a car again, I am determined to drive to the
Netherlands again and visit all the friendly people I have gotten to know."
In the plane the mood had an atmosphere of emotional gratefulness. Grateful
because they were allowed to go home, emotional becaus of everything they
had experienced in the weeks after that fatal 4th of August.
A last handshake, a few last words, hastenily stammered, and the cabin
door is closed.
Slowly the plane rolled to the runway. Waving hands... Portmaster P.J.J.
Vogelzang strode calmly back towards his office; Behind him four engines
sound off a thundering final of an unsuspecting started holiday. Then
they lift their burden quickly into the clearing sky, on their way home
