201:(SIAF). In total, the SIAF found 32 causes of the crash, the most immediate being the truck driver's loss of control. The main contributing factors to the crash were the choice of an unfavorable route, the high speed of the truck and the possible reduced alertness of the driver. In the SIAF's view, none of the bus passengers wore a seat belt, while the bus driver, driving at high speed in snowy weather, made an error in observing the oncoming truck and attempted to avoid the collision too late. The SIAF found no technical defects with either vehicle. The routes of both vehicles were designed in such a way that it would not have been possible to drive them in compliance with both the
173:, which intermittently covered the highway. The trailer first swerved to the right onto the edge of the road, then returned to the road and drifted left onto the lane of oncoming traffic. Despite an evasive attempt by the driver, the trailer continued to run in the opposite lane. The northbound bus then collided with the front wall of the trailer. Five 780-kilogram (1,720 lb) paper rolls were ejected through the front wall of the trailer, pushing the wall and paper rolls into the bus at a speed of 70 km/h (43 mph). The winter speed limit on the road was 80 km/h (50 mph). The front of the bus, as well as several rows of seats, were demolished on impact.
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161:) 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Äänekoski, and left the bus driver and 22 passengers dead; fourteen were injured. The executive director of the youth travel company was among those who perished in the crash. Most of the victims were killed immediately by the paper rolls ejected into the bus. The truck driver was uninjured.
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The SIAF issued seventeen safety recommendations, the most important of which could be considered to be the transfer of responsibility for transport from the driver alone to all parties involved. Other notable proposals include lowering the maximum speed limit for truck speed limiters to 80 km/h and
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using the speed information stored by the tachograph to punish breaches of the speed limit. The SIAF considered the crash-worthiness of the front end of the bus to be insufficient in such an crash, but did not make any recommendations to improve the situation. Instead,
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in force and the drivers' driving and rest time regulations. In addition, the SIAF found that the road surface was very slippery and that an area of local slipperiness was difficult to detect or predict.
263:. Investigation report A 1/2004 Y. trans. R&J Language Service (Abridged translation of the original Finnish report ed.). Helsinki: Accident Investigation Board Finland.
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of three months' imprisonment for endangering traffic safety, 23 fatalities and three injuries. In addition, the transport company
Transpoint was fined a community fine of
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against the verdict. A few interested parties also expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict of the Äänekoski
District Court, but none of them ultimately appealed.
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A head-on collision involving a heavy vehicle combination and a charter coach on highway 4 at
Konginkangas near the town of Äänekoski, Finland on 19.3.2004
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On 23 January 2007, the Court of Appeal upheld the
District Court's decision largely unchanged. The truck driver did not appeal the verdict to the
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truck carrying heavy paper rolls weighing about 61.5 tonnes (60.5 long tons; 67.8 short tons) total. The crash occurred on
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The crash occurred when the trailer of the southbound truck began a soft swerving movement on
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The trial continued on 18 December 2006 in the Vaasa Court of Appeal, as the truck driver
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358:"Excessive speed and driver error seen as causes of collision killing 23 last year"
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reinforced the front of the body of its 9700 model on its own initiative in 2004.
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was a major road traffic crash on 19 March 2004, outside the village of
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On 31 May 2006, the Äänekoski
District Court gave the truck driver a
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374:"Suspended sentence for truck driver in Konginkangas disaster"
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360:. Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. 18 November 2005
244:, so the verdict of the Court of Appeal remained final.
376:. Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. 1 June 2006
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International
Edition. 19 March 2004. Archived from
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skiing center for an alpine ski trip crashed into a
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334:"At least 23 dead in bus crash in Central Finland"
320:(in Finnish). Accident Investigation Board Finland
318:"Konginkangas 19.3.2004 klo 02:08 (animation)"
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230:10,000 for an occupational safety offense.
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254:Lähteenmäki, Esko; et al. (2006) .
197:The crash was investigated by Finland's
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414:2000s road incidents in Europe
199:Safety Investigation Authority
193:at the Konginkangas crash site
191:Safety Investigation Authority
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316:Citec Information (2005).
424:2004 disasters in Finland
404:Road incidents in Finland
123:Konginkangas bus disaster
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17:Konginkangas bus disaster
399:Bus incidents in Finland
242:Supreme Court of Finland
28:Aerial view of the crash
155:Finnish national road 4
88:62.777000°N 25.782300°E
37:19 March 2004
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189:were retrieved by the
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344:on 30 September 2007
296:on 27 September 2007
93:62.777000; 25.782300
409:2004 road incidents
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112:Non-fatal injuries
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378:. Retrieved
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298:. Retrieved
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151:full-trailer
127:Konginkangas
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187:tachographs
147:Rukatunturi
137:. At 02:08
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79:25°46.938′E
76:62°46.620′N
66:Coordinates
393:Categories
248:References
185:These two
139:local time
419:Äänekoski
287:141380775
279:1239-5315
171:black ice
131:Äänekoski
60:, Finland
54:Äänekoski
235:appealed
49:Location
300:18 July
141:(00:08
39: (
380:27 May
364:27 May
348:27 May
324:27 May
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104:Deaths
294:(PDF)
261:(PDF)
218:Trial
212:Volvo
165:Crash
382:2007
366:2007
350:2007
326:2007
302:2007
283:OCLC
275:ISSN
265:ISBN
121:The
34:Date
228:EUR
159:E75
143:UTC
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