Hobbyist crashed at work on dream garden for his grandchildren. He was just retired

Aarschot Hobbyist Marcel Van Vlasselaer (60) is Friday killed during the harvesting of trees behind his house. A tree trunk on a crane, hung, fell on his head. “Now that he's retired, he wanted to finally the large garden finishing for his two grandchildren,” says his son Kevin (33) started.

“Friday afternoon was the fine weather and organised he the sleeves and in the field to go to work,” says Kevin. “Behind his house near the stream had a lot of trees are being grubbed up to be. The intention was to have the entire site to an open meadow, so that he there are cows and sheep could graze.”

Marcel used a old crane, which he frequently had worked. “He sat in the open cabin. A long tree trunk in the reacher was must unhappy be tilted when he veered with the faucet. The tribe came right at his head.”

Pinched under the tree

From the accident themselves are no witnesses, but a friend from the neighborhood came to the steady throbbing sound of the engine. “He saw my father still lying on the most comfortable, pinched under the tree. The fire department and the mosquito came to him from his plight to save, but it was already too late. According to the doctors was the blow on his head, him fatal.” The public prosecutor's office was called to the location and stated that it was purely an accident.

Marcel was a true artist and hobbyboer. Behind his house he kept five cows and a few schapen.De stables he had completely built with recycled material. “He had left a piece of land purchased,” says his son. “That is still full of trees. So he had still a lot of work to the garden. A pond and a vegetable garden he had already constructed. This spring, he wanted there to grow vegetables for his two young grandchildren. They came to the garden of grandpa.”

My father had only just retired and seemed to finally calm down to have found. And that this happens. So unreal.

Kevin Van Vlasselaer

Wry

The family of Marcel remains orphaned after his sudden death. “I find it unreal to my son of 2.5 years to have to explain what happened,” says Kevin. “My father had only just retired and seemed to finally calm down to have found with his girlfriend Vera, who in the apartments located next door. She is quite upset.”

Marcel worked for 42 years at Roelants Glass in Aarschot, where he was the crane operated which allows large windows to be installed. “So he was an experienced driver of such large machines. It is the wranger that he is killed.”

The funeral is Friday, march 29, at 10 o'clock in the crematorium Hofheide in Nieuwrode.