Conscript acquitted over Raseborg level crossing crash (original) (raw)

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Three soldiers and one civilian died in the collision in 2017.

A reconstruction of the accident. The angle of the Skogby level crossing made it difficult for drivers to see oncoming trains. The crossing was taken out of use after a fatal accident in 2017. Image: Otkes

Helsinki Court of Appeal has acquitted the driver of a military vehicle that collided with a train at a level crossing with the death of three conscripts.

One passenger on the train also died, but the coroner could not attribute that death to the accident.

The verdict affirms the earlier ruling from the lower court, which acquitted the driver of three counts of causing death through negligence, dangerous driving and military service crimes.

The prosecutor had appealed that verdict, leading to the trial in the appeals court which delivered the verdict on Thursday.

Three conscripts died and five were injured when the Defence Forces vehicle hit a commuter train at the Skogby level crossing in Raseborg, South-west Finland in October 2017.

During the investigation it became clear that the driver of the vehicle would not have been able to see the oncoming train until it was too late, because of the angle of the crossing.

The crossing was taken out of use shortly after the accident.