Police downgrade intoxication charge after fatal Helsinki taxi crash

Two people died after a taxi struck them on Itäväylä road in Helsinki in late June, Yle reports. Police have now downgraded the suspected driving offence from aggravated driving while intoxicated to the basic offence.

The victims, a man and a woman both aged about 30, were on the road near Kulosaari when they were hit. Police have questioned the taxi driver and other motorists who partly witnessed the incident.

The driver, a man in his 40s, is currently suspected of driving while intoxicated, two counts of aggravated causing death by negligence and aggravated endangerment of traffic safety.

The driver’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash has not yet been established. Police are still trying to determine it as the preliminary investigation nears completion, said Tuomas Lindholm, the detective in charge at Helsinki Police.

According to police, the victims were in the middle of the three-lane carriageway. At least two motorists had to swerve to avoid them, meaning the victims had also endangered traffic safety, Lindholm said.

Police said the taxi was travelling slightly above the speed limit, which was 70 kilometres per hour. They have not disclosed its exact speed. Technical examinations found no defects in the vehicle that could have caused the crash.

The driver was working through Taxi Helsinki’s dispatch service, but was not carrying a customer and no one else was in the taxi at the time.

He was detained to protect the investigation but was released on July 3. Police said they now have a fairly clear picture of what happened and expect to send the case to prosecutors within one to two months, Lindholm said.

Police said the two victims knew each other but were not married or related.