Helsinki taxi driver suspected of slight speeding in fatal hit-and-run

Police suspect the taxi driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Helsinki’s Itäväylä was slightly exceeding the speed limit, lead investigator Tuomas Lindholm of the Helsinki Police Department told Yle.

“I cannot give an exact figure, but based on current information, we suspect he was driving at most slightly above the speed limit,” Lindholm said.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday near Kulosaari, killing a man and a woman, both around 30 years old. The approximately 40-year-old driver is suspected of aggravated drunk driving, aggravated manslaughter, and aggravated endangerment of traffic safety. The speed limit at the scene is 70 km/h.

Police requested witness accounts on Wednesday regarding the victims’ movements prior to the incident and have since received additional observations. Further details on these accounts have not been disclosed, and police continue to accept new information.

Authorities also reminded the public that any video footage of the incident must be submitted to police and must not be published or shared elsewhere. Publishing or distributing such material could constitute a crime, Lindholm noted in a statement on Wednesday. So far, no video evidence has been received.

Police were alerted to the scene by emergency services early Tuesday morning.