Dozens injured in Länsiväylä bus accident
About 30 passengers were injured when two buses and a van collided on Länsiväylä - the main westbound highway between the capital and neighbouring Espoo - in Helsinki's suburb of Lauttasaari after seven o'clock on Wednesday evening. Three people were seriously hurt but are reported to be out of danger.
The accident entirely blocked the westbound carriageways on Länsiväylä for two hours, causing major hold-ups.
Police believe that the accident occurred when a bus, which was passing an oversized truck-trailer combination with an escort van in front and back, crashed into the first escort vehicle that was parked in the right-hand lane.
After this, another bus driving behind ploughed into the rear end of the first bus.
The effects of the accident in Lauttasaari were felt as far away as in the district of Ruoholahti, where a queue of hundreds of cars was held up while rescue workers and police worked at the scene.
Moreover, passengers were waiting for buses in the new Kamppi bus terminal for over an hour without knowing why their buses were delayed, as no information was relayed about the situation on the electric displays of the travel centre.
Helsingin Sanomat
