A 19-year-old died in the school yard – This is how the municipality explains the fatal boom – 2024-05-13 15:28:18

There were many candles at the scene of the accident on Monday. Sanna Ihalainen

The boom that the motorcyclist hit on Taipalsaari was not on the roadway.

The 19-year-old who died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday drove towards a boom marked with reflective stickers. The boom has since been detached or dislodged.

Taipalsaari municipality’s technical director Samuli Kakko says that the boom prevented motor vehicles from entering the Saimaanharju school yard. The boom was an obstacle on the light traffic lane, which is separated from the area intended for motor vehicles.

The boom is usually kept closed, limiting inappropriate traffic in the school yard area. It will be opened separately for maintenance traffic.

– The boom has been there for a reason. It was installed when cars and mopeds were driven around the school yard. The second tells.

There have been no known accidents related to the boom before, but vandalism has been targeted at it, he adds.

In winter, the booms are kept open so that the light traffic route and the school grounds can be plowed and kept safe for the students. Kakko does not know the exact date when the boom will be closed after this winter season.

– The snow left here two to three weeks ago, so it must have been closed around that time, he estimates.