Collision between passenger car and rail bus at level crossing in Alavus, Finland

An incident occurred on Sunday evening at a level crossing in Alavus, where a passenger car collided with a rail bus. The South Ostrobothnia Rescue Service was notified of the accident around 5:30 PM. The vehicle was traveling on Siilintie at the time of the collision. The rail bus, which was carrying approximately 100 passengers, was en route from Seinäjoki to Jyväskylä.

The car struck the rail bus on the passenger side of the front seat, resulting in the vehicle being propelled into a ditch about ten meters away, where it was completely wrecked. Fortunately, the driver was able to exit the car independently and did not sustain life-threatening injuries, according to on-duty fire chief Santtu Lahma. The car did not catch fire during the incident.

At the time of the collision, there was only the driver in the car, who was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Lahma mentioned that the situation could have been avoided with greater caution, emphasizing the importance of stopping at the stop sign, as the level crossing in question is unmonitored and lacks lights or barriers.

Following the collision, the rail bus continued on its route for about 300 meters. One passenger from the train sustained minor injuries and was also taken for medical care. Traffic on this railway section was halted for a few hours. Lahma noted that this particular railway segment is relatively quiet. Recovery operations for the rail bus were still underway after 8 PM on Sunday, but this incident did not affect busier railway sections.