Cheese and Wine Evening Ends with Jaw Fracture and Lawsuit Over Seating Dispute

gent - A cheese and wine evening at Volvo Trucks in Belgium took a violent turn when a dispute over seating led to a colleague suffering a double jaw fracture.

A double jaw fracture and a visit to court. Colleagues at Volvo Trucks in Gent, Belgium, had a cheese and wine evening that didn't end as planned. One of them now faces a community service sentence after causing a double jaw fracture to another colleague during an argument over seating arrangements in a car. "I regret it," a 35-year-old man from Aalter (between Gent and Brugge) said in court. "I stand here now and I've lost a friend. What happened there is ridiculous."

The man appeared in court on Monday for a cheese and wine evening that got out of hand with some other colleagues from Volvo Trucks Gent.

Initially, it was a pleasant evening, but towards the end, after a few drinks had been consumed, a discussion arose about the car seating arrangements. "It was a trivial argument about who should sit in the back seat," according to Het Nieuwsblad in court.

One of the colleagues became aggressive and headbutted and hit another colleague. "Even when the victim was already on the ground, he continued kicking," said the public prosecutor. The victim suffered a double jaw fracture.

According to the accused's lawyer, he lost his self-control. "They were both seriously under the influence," the lawyer said. Attempts were made to resolve the issue between them after the incident, but they were unsuccessful. The two no longer have any contact.

The public prosecutor requested a community service sentence or a suspended sentence for the man. He will learn his sentence on January 13.