The tragic accident that occurred last week in the Prauliena parish of the Madona region has raised many questions and caused a wide public outcry. A man who filmed the accident scene and did not provide immediate assistance to the victims has faced criticism. It is known that within the initiated criminal process, his responsibility will also be assessed.
The portal t3v.lv has found out what may await the 'reporter' who filmed the first minutes after the collision.
Recall that the collision between a BMW and a Toyota Hilux occurred on Saturday, March 21, in the afternoon. At the scene, the driver of the BMW, born in 2000, and a passenger born in 1990 died. The driver of the Toyota Hilux died in the hospital from severe injuries. Neither of the drivers had a driver's license.
Information about the accident initially spread on social media, where several video recordings appeared. They show the scene of the incident, the wrecked cars, and the victims. One of the videos lasts more than a minute — it was filmed by a man passing by. In the video, he walks around the damaged cars, looks at the victims, one of whom was still moving, but does not immediately provide first aid, only promising to do so.
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Ļoti smaga avārija Madonas novadā, iespējams pat 180 km/h ātrumā pic.twitter.com/DYkgY5gnKU
— iAuto.lv (@iAutolv) March 21, 2026
The State Police has initiated a criminal case regarding the traffic accident and is investigating the circumstances of the incident, reports the portal tv3.lv. As part of the process, an episode has been registered regarding the possible leaving of a person without assistance under the first part of Article 141 of the Criminal Law — for failing to provide necessary and obviously urgent medical assistance to a person in a life-threatening condition, if the offender was aware that they could help without serious risk to themselves or others.
Such a violation is punishable by probation supervision, community service, or a fine. The police also noted that more detailed information about the specific person is not yet disclosed to prevent their identification and possible pressure.
"Moreover, the person's guilt within the criminal process has not yet been proven. The investigation is ongoing," emphasized State Police representative Zane Vaskane.
In the program Degpunktā, CSDD security expert Irbitis sharply criticized the actions of those filming: "If you see that an incident has occurred, the first thing you need to do is call for help — immediately inform the police, the rescue service, call an ambulance. You should not walk around the accident scene, trample on evidence, shove a camera in the faces of the victims, and film the deceased."
He also emphasized that such actions could be considered a criminal offense.
For his part, the chief specialist of the first aid training organization department of the Emergency Medical Service, Mikelis Pukitis, noted in the Degpunktā program how important it is to provide assistance in the first seconds and minutes. The faster the call to the rescue services is made and the quicker the specialists arrive, the more lives can be saved.
Evaluating the situation with the filming of the accident in Prauliena, the service representative noted that in this case, a call could have helped — medics would have provided instructions over the phone on how to act. He emphasized that every minute counts when providing assistance: if a person remains without oxygen for 4–5 minutes, it leads to irreversible brain damage.
