No charges will be filed against the driver of a military transport vehicle that collided with a passenger train at a level crossing in Skogby, a village in the municipality of Raseborg last year, a tragedy resulting in the deaths of four people.
The Western Uusimaa District Prosecutor said that due to poor weather and the structure of the vehicle, it was not possible for the driver to see the approaching train at the level crossing.
“The serviceman who sat in the passenger seat on the right side – in a spot where it should theoretically have been possible to see the train – has said that he did not see or hear anything,” the prosecutor said in a statement.
Consequently, there is no reason to charge the driver with endangering traffic safety or involuntary manslaughter, according to the prosecutor.
Three conscripts who were riding in the off-road lorry and one passenger on the light-rail train died in the October accident. Four other conscripts were also injured in the incident, and subsequently declined to file charges against the driver.
Calling the Skogby level crossing ‘highly dangerous,’ the Safety Investigation Authority said last year the angle of approach on the road was too acute and the speed limit for trains was too high given the poor sightlines.
The level crossing has since been closed.