Deadly Weekend on Roads
Small-town western Estonia is in mourning after four young men died near Haapsalu when their BMW collided with an oncoming truck early Saturday morning.
The crash, thought to be caused when they turned on to a primary road near Haapsalu at too high a speed and skidded on wet pavement into the opposite lane, claimed the life of regionally known rally driver Madis Kruusma and three other men in their early 20s and late teens.
A 15-year-old girl riding with the four men is in critical condition while the truck driver was not injured.
In a macabre twist, social media amplified the news, due to the availability of pictures of the wreckage as well as a shot of the same BMW coupe posted by Kruusma on Facebook after he had bought it in late October. Commenters mentioned that the radial tire pattern suggested one of the tires was in the wrong position.
Kruusma had a history of traffic infractions. The car had been seen speeding in Haapsalu earlier that night, and Kruusma had been stopped by police and issued a warning.
In another accident this weekend, a 55-year-old man in Jõgeva County was killed on Sunday when his car hit two moose.
Traffic fatalities stand at 64 this year. Last year there had been 78 by this date.