Conscripts injured in Lapland accident released from hospital

According to Lapland police, the rear end of the tracked vehicle skidded to the side of the road, causing the entire vehicle to overturn.

Six conscripts sent to Lapland Central Hospital for injuries sustained in an all-terrain vehicle accident in the region on Wednesday have been released, according to the Lapland Border Guard.

A total of 23 Border Guard conscripts were hurt in the accident, but the majority of injuries were minor, with 17 receiving care at the local health centre in the village of Ivalo.

According to a Border Guard press release, all of the conscripts involved in the accident returned to their barracks in Ivalo, where an on-call nurse was onsite on Wednesday night.

The injured conscripts will receive a follow-up check by a physician on Thursday, according to the Border Guard.

The Lapland Police Department has opened an investigation into the accident. On Wednesday, the department said that the incident is being investigated under the criminal headings of traffic endangerment and a service offence.

Police have said that preliminary findings suggested there were too many conscripts riding in the vehicle, a Hägglunds Bandvagn 206, a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier, which has an official maximum capacity of 17 people, including the driver.

The vehicle’s cab can fit five passengers and a driver, while the rear end of the articulated vehicle is supposed to hold 11.

According to police, the vehicle’s rear section skidded to the side of the road, causing the entire vehicle to overturn. Police have said that there was no ice or snow on the road where the accident occurred.

The Ivalo Border Jaeger Company is scheduled to continue shooting exercises as planned on Thursday, but those injured in the accident will not take part, the Border Guard said.

Related stories from around the North: 

Finland: All-terrain vehicle crash in Finnish Lapland injures 23 conscripts, Yle News