An 11-year-old girl in Tampere has succumbed to her injuries after being run over by a lorry while on a zebra crossing on Wednesday.
The incident comes just days after another girl, aged nine, was killed by a lorry on a road crossing in the capital, and is likely to spark debate about the safety of Finland’s road system.
The 11-year-old was hit by an articulated lorry on Wednesday morning at 9:15 while on the zebra crossing at the junction of Pirkankatu and Mariankatu in the centre of Tampere.
Authorities reported on Thursday morning that the girl died of her wounds in the Tampere University Hospital. Investigators now confirm that green lights were being simultaneously shown to drivers and pedestrians at the intersection.
The driver was not found to be under the influence of alcohol.
Unnecessary risk
The incident marks the latest in a string of recent deaths or serious injuries on Finland’s roads. On Saturday a 9-year-old girl was killed by a lorry while on a zebra crossing near her school in Töölö, central Helsinki.
Just days earlier an 8-year-old boy was seriously injured crossing a pedestrian crossing in the Vantaa district of Tikkurila.
A further 9-year-old girl was hit by a car in early August near the Pasila train station, but was not badly hurt.
News of an adult male cyclist who was killed after being allegedly intentionally hit by a motorist earlier this month also led to demonstrations across the country.
Many Finnish road crossings simultaneously show green lights to pedestrians and to turning traffic. Under the system, the official responsibility for safety is shared between drivers and those crossing the road. But critics argue the system puts pedestrians at unnecessary risk.