Driver receives suspended sentence for fatal head-on collision in Kittilä

A 20-year-old man has been given a three-month suspended prison sentence for a deadly crash in Kittilä, northern Finland, after his attempt to overtake led to a collision that killed two people, reports Yle.

The Lapland District Court issued its ruling on Monday in the November 2024 case, where the driver overtook a slow-moving machinery transport on Rovaniemi Road and collided with an oncoming car. Both vehicles caught fire, killing a couple in their 50s in the opposing car. A female passenger in the defendant’s vehicle was injured.

Prosecutors had sought a one-year suspended sentence for aggravated traffic endangerment and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, arguing the driver acted with gross negligence. However, the court ruled the offences did not meet the threshold for aggravated charges, citing the driver’s otherwise careful conduct and lack of disregard for road safety.

The court also rejected claims for compensation from the victims’ relatives. The ruling can be appealed.

The driver denied gross negligence, testifying he had no memory of the crash. He suggested strong gusty winds at the time may have caused his car to swerve into the oncoming lane. Police investigations noted good road conditions but confirmed the wide transport vehicle had obstructed visibility of oncoming traffic.

The collision occurred in Alakylä, Kittilä, at a point where the speed limit increased from 60 km/h to 100 km/h.