Prosecutor seeks fines after Joensuu bungee accident

Yle reports that a prosecutor is seeking fines for a man responsible for safety at a bungee jump in Joensuu, where two women were injured after their jump basket swung out of control.

The accident happened in July 2024 during the Ilosaarirock festival weekend, at a campsite next to the festival grounds. The women were attached by a bungee cord to a jump basket. As a crane operator lowered and moved the basket sideways, it began swinging like a pendulum. The operator could not stop the motion and lowered it too quickly.

The women struck the ground and a car parked in the jump area. They suffered minor injuries to their hands and heads and went to a first-aid station themselves. Two friends filmed the jump, and the video was used as evidence in court.

The prosecutor says the man did not adequately train the crane operator and that the parked car put the jumpers at risk. The man acknowledged responsibility for safety but denies committing a crime. He argues that he was an employee, not the owner of the company offering the jumps, and that an employee cannot be convicted of a health offence.

The prosecutor is seeking a penalty of 50 to 70 day-fines. The case is continuing at the North Karelia District Court, with the next hearing scheduled for November 13. A ruling will be issued later.