A British chef has had both legs amputated after his Michelin-starred restaurant boss allegedly ran him over with his Land Rover following a drunken party earlier this year.
Sous chef Joe Claridge, 37, was seriously injured around 6 a.m. on Monday, January 8, in the parking lot of The Jane, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium.
The horrific incident is said to have occurred after staff emerged from a Sunday evening party that went on until the early hours.
The vehicle was driven by 40-year-old celebrity chef Nick Bril, head of The Jane restaurant, who climbed behind the wheel of his Land Rover after the accident.
Dutchman Bril was reversing out of the restaurant parking lot when he reportedly accidentally struck Claridge, who was sitting behind the vehicle, and crushed him under the wheels.
The vehicle was driven by 40-year-old celebrity chef Nick Bril, pictured
Sous chef Joe Claridge, 37, was seriously injured around 6 a.m. on Monday, January 8, in the parking lot of The Jane, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Land Rover reportedly owned by Bril is towed away by authorities for investigation
According to a jogger who witnessed the incident, the celebrity chef did not immediately call emergency services, but only did so after onlookers urged him to do so. He also allegedly did not mention that he had run over the victim.
Claridge, meanwhile, was taken to hospital, seriously injured and in a critical condition, and was kept in an induced coma for 50 days at the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) in Edegems while surgeons performed multiple operations.
Claridge emerged from his coma at the end of February, more than six weeks after the incident, but only now – five months after the tragedy – can he speak again after a breathing tube was removed.
Although his mental functions remained intact, Claridge had to have his two lower limbs amputated, such was the damage caused by the weight of the Land Rover.
The vehicle was towed by authorities for investigation after the incident.
Bril’s lawyer Omar Souidi confirmed to the Belgian press that his client had not been arrested.
He said: “Nick’s thoughts are with the victim at this time. It’s his only concern right now. He hopes that his employee is doing well.’
Souidi also reportedly confirmed that Bril had given a positive breath test, adding: “Further investigation will have to determine whether there is a causal link between my client’s alcohol intoxication and the incident itself.”
Bril has written his own cookbook and recently appeared in the reality TV program Special Forces: Who Dares Wins on the Belgian VTM.
The Jane opened in 2014 in the chapel of a former military hospital and is considered one of Antwerp’s best restaurants.
Prosecutors are currently treating the incident as an accident
Dutch chef Nick Bril poses for the photographer during the presentation of the 2023 edition of the French gastronomic guide ‘Gault et Millau’ for the Benelux
While Bril continues to cook at The Jane, Claridge continues his recovery.
The Belgian broadcaster ATV was forwarded in limited comments Newspaperthe Jersey sous chef said he had enjoyed his time at The Jane and had learned a lot in the short time leading up to the accident.
He said he took the job as an assistant chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant because he had plans to open his own business in France.
But Claridge made no comment on the incident itself.
Prosecutors are currently treating the incident as an accident, with nThere were numerous media reports stating that Claridge appeared to be lying on the ground before being struck by the Land Rover, and that the incident was captured on the restaurant’s CCTV footage.
The investigation is ongoing.