21-year-old still not questioned

Manslaughter Car Crash Head On TelemarkA person is confirmed dead and several injured in a meeting accident on the E18 between Langangen and Larvik night to Year's Day. Photo: Trond Reidar Teigen / NTB scanpix

21-year-old charged with manslaughter not questioned

The 21-year-old, who is charged with manslaughter after a collision on the E18 in Vestfold, is still receiving treatment for severe injuries at the hospital and is therefore still not questioned by the police.

 

The police believe that the 21-year-old drove more than one kilometer in the wrong lane on the motorway, before he intentionally crashed with another car. The head on collision occurred at 4.30 am on New Year’s Day between Langangen and Larvik.

In the other car was a family of five from Telemark – mother, father and three children. The father died while the mother and a child of five years were severely injured. The other two children, a seven-year-old and a baby of eleven months, suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The indicted 21-year-old, who himself also is from Telemark, was severely injured.

– He is hospitalized and still needs medical treatment, says police inspector Magnar Pedersen to NTB.

The police have made seizures in his apartment, which they are going to go through.

– Additionally, we are questioning witnesses, complete forensics on site and try to gather as much information as possible, says Pedersen.

There is a divider between the lanes at the site where the accident occurred, and the police suspect that the 21-year-old switched lanes through a small opening in the divider. They are currently not willing to provide information as to why they investigate the case as being manslaughter.

– We think there’s a good reason to suspect that he knowingly switched to the wrong direction and hit the other car head on. – We do not want to go into detail about what we build our suspicion on, but provide our conclusion only, says Pedersen.

He says the police will consider whether the indictment will include attempted manslaughter of the injured persons.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today