A Finnish court has handed a suspended prison sentence to a scaffolding firm project manager over the collapse of a temporary pedestrian bridge in southern Finland that injured dozens of people, including a group of schoolchildren.
The Western Uusimaa District Court sentenced the manager to five months’ imprisonment, suspended, after finding him guilty on 19 counts of aggravated negligent injury. The ruling relates to the failure of a temporary metal and plywood bridge in the Tapiola district of Espoo in May 2023.
The bridge collapsed as 44 pedestrians were crossing, causing around 23 middle school students and their teacher to fall approximately five metres. Injuries ranged from minor to very serious. Six of the teenagers were left with permanent impairments, according to Finnish Safety Investigation Authority.
In its verdict, the court said the project manager, aged in his late 30s, had neglected his duties by approving the use of the bridge without verifying its load-bearing capacity. The temporary crossing had been installed to maintain pedestrian access across Itätuulenkuja during construction works ordered by the City of Espoo.
The court noted that the bridge was assembled using components from different scaffolding manufacturers and did not conform to standard structures. Ensuring the durability and safety of the installation was the responsibility of the project manager, the ruling said.
Charges against a second defendant, a supervisor employed by the construction company that built the bridge, were dismissed. Police initially investigated eight people in connection with the incident, but charges against six were dropped before the case reached court. The City of Espoo also faced no charges.
All of the injured students were eighth-grade pupils from Kalasatama School in Helsinki.
