Driver fined after 15-year-old dies in Pirkkala e-scooter crash

A Finnish district court has handed a driver a fine after a collision with an electric scooter killed a 15-year-old girl in Pirkkala last year, Yle and STT report. The Pirkanmaa District Court rejected most of the charges brought against the 45-year-old motorist.

The accident occurred on a Sunday evening in September 2025 at the intersection of Naistenmatkantie and Pirjolantie in Pirkkala, shortly after 8 p.m. Two girls, both aged 15, were riding the same electric scooter when a car struck them on a pedestrian crossing. The girl operating the scooter later died in hospital from her injuries. The second girl was injured.

Prosecutors had sought to convict the driver of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and endangering traffic safety. The court found him guilty only of endangering traffic safety and sentenced him to a fine of 40 day-fines.

The car had been travelling from the east and reached the pedestrian crossing just beyond the intersection. The scooter had turned from Pirjolantie onto a cycle and pedestrian path before crossing Naistenmatkantie at the crossing. Sight lines from both directions were unobstructed.

The car struck the scooter and the two girls in the middle of the pedestrian crossing and came to a stop nearly 15 metres beyond the midpoint of the crossing.

During the main hearing on 4 May, the court heard arguments about whether the scooter had stopped before the crossing or not. Data from the rental scooter company showed the last recorded speed of the scooter on the crossing was 10 kilometres per hour before impact.

The defendant denied any wrongdoing, stating the situation was sudden and unexpected. He said he did not notice the scooter until it was already in front of his car and had no time to brake. The defence said he was travelling at approximately 35 kilometres per hour on a road with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour.

The verdict is not yet final.