Norwegian graduation student blinded by laser on bus seized by police

Norwegian police have seized a graduation bus and launched an investigation after a student lost their sight following exposure to a laser beam, Dagbladet reports.

“Police have seized the graduation bus along with its equipment and are now conducting examinations with regard to lasers that have been used, including their type, strength, origin, and compliance with regulations. Interviews with those involved will be conducted,” said police attorney Hanna Hurv Nilsen of the Agder police district.

The incident occurred on the night of 17 May, when a student was struck in the eye by a laser beam in the Agder region. According to Fædrelandsvennen, the student attends an upper secondary school in Kristiansand. The student has been admitted to the ophthalmology department at Sørlandet Hospital in Arendal.

Espen Ringvold, department head and senior physician at the ophthalmology unit at Sørlandet Hospital, told Dagbladet that the student has lost sharp vision and is in practice blind. “It is dangerous, and we are worried about receiving more blind graduation students,” Ringvold said, describing the situation as a “national problem.”

“No one currently has the status of suspect in the case, which is being investigated as negligent infliction of significant harm,” Nilsen said.

The laser used exceeded the strength considered safe and may cause serious burns to the eye. It is not yet known who owns the laser or what type it is. According to NRK, the laser did not belong to the student who was injured.

Both the hospital and police issued warnings on Monday and Tuesday respectively, urging all those with lasers on graduation vehicles to ensure the devices meet required safety standards.

Ringvold said the danger posed by lasers is not sufficiently communicated to the public. “The problem is that people buy lasers that are not standard-classified and that are far stronger than they realise. We do not know where this graduation bus obtained the laser, but I doubt it was purchased in a regular shop,” he said.