Last week, a serious accident occurred on the Salu Bridge at the Mukusala roundabout. A BMW car crashed into a police vehicle that had stopped another car in the right lane at the edge of the bridge. The incident sparked public discussion — does the police even have the right to stop drivers on bridges?
The police patrol on the Salu Bridge stopped a vehicle with British license plates, reports the show Degpunktā (TV3). While clarifying the circumstances, another BMW suddenly crashed into the police car from behind, pushing the vehicle in front of it. The damages were serious, and there were injuries — the driver of the stopped car and four other people were hurt.
It seemed like an ordinary stop on a bridge, but with particularly severe consequences. Why didn’t the police move off the bridge with the violator that day — to a place where traffic would have been less intense and possibly the accident could have been avoided?
Janis Paradnieks, head of the Riga Pardaugava State Police, explains that police officers can stop vehicles anywhere, but on bridges this occurs only under special circumstances.
According to the police representative, the driver in question exceeded the speed limit and was driving nearly 100 km/h. Additionally, considering that the car had foreign license plates, there were reasonable suspicions that they might be fake.
It turned out that the British plates were genuine. The only violation for which the driver will be held accountable was speeding. As for the second driver who crashed into the police vehicle — the police still do not understand why this happened. The car was parked in a well-visible location with its emergency lights on.
"The first thing that comes to mind is a sudden lane change. Changing lanes. Driving in the middle or third lane... suddenly darting into the first lane to overtake on the right — which is itself an absolutely foolish maneuver. And then not considering that there might be a car standing there," suggested auto expert Janis Vanks regarding the reasons for the collision. "There is also the option when a chain of cars is driving in the right lane. And, say, the first one suddenly exits without signaling. And those driving behind, as often happens with us — do not maintain a sufficient distance, do not have time to react and crash..."
Vanks emphasized that in heavy traffic, it is often difficult to adequately assess the actions of the police crew, notice them in time, and make quick decisions. To avoid tragic consequences, mutual attentiveness and understanding are necessary.
The injuries of the accident participants varied, and for some time the condition of the injured remained uncertain. However, the State Police reports that both drivers and all three police officers have already been discharged from the hospital.
