Former F1 driver under suspicion following fatal boat accident
Police unsure as yet who was driving speedboat when it hit bridge
Jyrki Järvilehto
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The former Formula One driver Jyrki Järvilehto is under suspicion of having committed a crime in connection with a boating accident last Friday that led to the death of one man and put Järvilehto himself in hospital.
According to Inspector Juha-Pekka Vuorinen, leading investigations into the accident, the suspicions will become clearer one way or another when officers have had a chance to question Järvilehto.
Järvilehto is the owner of the speedboat that crashed into the upright of a road bridge on a narrow stretch of water in Jomalvik, Raseborg, west of the capital.
The accident in the early hours of Friday morning led to the death of a friend of the former F1 driver, who was with him on board.
Police are now most interested to know who was at the helm at the time of the crash.
The offences involved will depend upon whether it was Järvilehto or the other man who was driving the boat.
Alcohol was in any case involved in the accident in some shape or form, as Järvilehto gave a reading of 1.7 ppm in a breathalyser test following the accident.
The intoxication or otherwise of the deceased will only be determined later at autopsy.
The boat in question was a 6-metre Searay 210 Fission, with engines developing 300 bhp, and it is believed from technical investigations at the scene that the vessel was travelling at high speed at the time of impact.
An average of 55 people die each year in boating accidents in Finland, though in most cases the cause is capsizing of a small motor boat or rowing boat.
Alcohol is a major cause of fatal accidents on the water, together with a careless attitude towards wearing life-vests.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 22.6.2010 - TODAY |
 Former F1 driver under suspicion following fatal boat accident |
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