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Fatal accident at Suviseurat event in Pudasjärvi leads to woman’s death

Wednesday 24th 2024 on 15:37 in  
Finland

A fatal accident occurred during the Suviseurat event in Pudasjärvi on June 29, when a storm gust caused a mobile station’s mast to collapse. The falling mast struck a woman, who later died in the hospital. The damaged mobile station was owned by the operating company, with subcontractors responsible for its setup. While the organizers built a foundation for the station in accordance with guidelines, they failed to identify the risks posed by the station for the event.

Investigations by the police and the Accident Investigation Authority revealed that the left rear support leg of the station was not in contact with the ground, leading to an instability that allowed the mast to tilt in the direction of the break. According to the Accident Investigation Authority, the decision to lower the mast was made about an hour before the accident. The event organizers had the capability to lower the mast, but the station’s transmitters needed to be turned off prior to any action. Additionally, permission to lower the mast should have been obtained from the operating company that owned the station; however, no one from the company’s customer service in Romania could be reached in the hour leading up to the accident.

When lowering the mast proved challenging, the organizers did not take secondary actions, such as cordoning off the area more broadly. The Accident Investigation Authority has decided not to initiate a safety investigation into the incident, as it is not expected to yield significant information that could enhance safety measures.

Source 
(via yle.fi)