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Fatal Helsinki bus crash: Handbrake had not been engaged
🇫🇮 Finland /Crime & Justice

Fatal Helsinki bus crash: Handbrake had not been engaged

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • A preliminary investigation into the fatal June bus crash in Helsinki is nearing completion, police said.
  • Technical tests found that the parked bus’s handbrake was not engaged and that no mechanical fault in the service or handbrake explained its movement.
  • The driver, who was on a break, is suspected of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and aggravated manslaughter, and the case will soon go to prosecutors for consideration of charges.

The handbrake of a tourist bus that rolled into an elderly woman in central Helsinki had not been engaged, according to a technical vehicle investigation cited by police.

The crash happened on June 6 on Unioninkatu, near the corner of Senate Square. The empty bus rolled several dozen metres south while the woman was crossing a pedestrian crossing. She suffered injuries and later died in hospital.

Police said the vehicle had remained stationary only because its parking brake was holding it. That brake released after a built-in delay linked to the ignition being switched off expired, or after the battery charge fell. The bus then began to move.

Investigators found no mechanical fault in either the service brake or the handbrake that would explain the incident. The bus was operated by Stromma Suomi as a Hop-on Hop-off tourist service.

The driver was on a break when the crash occurred. Police suspect the driver of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and aggravated manslaughter. The case is expected to move to prosecutorial consideration of charges soon.

About this summary

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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