AN Islander has been seriously injured after being run over by the celebrity chef he was working for while on a temporary internship in Belgium.
Joe Claridge was reportedly left in an induced coma after he was hit by a car driven by 39-year-old Dutchman Nick Bril, who runs the two-Michelin-star restaurant The Jane in Antwerp.
It is understood that Mr Bril, who has written his own cook book and recently appeared on the reality television show Special Forces: Who Dares Wins on Belgium’s VTM, was reversing his Land Rover out of the restaurant car park when he accidentally struck Mr Claridge.
According to Belgian media, Mr Bril was over the alcohol limit at the time.
Mr Claridge (37) – a chef at Tassili at the Grand Jersey Hotel who was working for Mr Bril after the Island restaurant closed temporarily – is understood to still be in hospital with multiple internal injuries.
Describing the incident, which happened earlier this month, Kristof Aerts, of the Public Prosecution Service in Antwerp, said: “While leaving the parking lot – reserved for restaurant staff – a man was hit by a car.
“The victim was in a life-threatening condition and was immediately taken to hospital.
“The driver of the car, a 39-year-old man, called emergency services immediately himself.”
Prosecutors later reportedly told Dutch media that the incident “appears to be a tragic accident”.
Speaking to the JEP yesterday, Mr Bril’s lawyer, Omar Souidi, confirmed that his client had not been arrested.
In a further comment to Belgian newspaper GVA, he said: “Nick’s thoughts are currently going out to the victim.
“It’s his only concern at the moment. He hopes that things will turn out well for his employee.”
Mr Souidi also reportedly confirmed that Mr Bril had given a positive breath test, adding: “Further investigation will have to show whether there is a causal link between my client’s alcohol intoxication and the incident itself.”
The Jane opened in 2014 in the chapel of a former military hospital and is regarded as one of Antwerp’s best restaurants.
