The accident took place around 9.30 p.m. Thursday near the village of Kardla, around 10 km west of Tartu and at the 171-kilometer way-maker on the Tallinn-Tartu highway, and involved a collision between an SUV vehicle and a truck, Tartu Postimees reports.

Rescue Board (Päästeamet) personnel attended the scene, where a 22-year-old man who was a passenger in the vehicle, and has been named by Postimees' lifestyle portal Elu24 as Tambet Sild, a stand-up comic with Comedy Estonia, succumbed to his injuries.

The accident took place in a stretch of highway subject to a 50km/h speed limit, and, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) announced at 1.22 a.m. on the Friday, involved a truck which was traveling in the opposite direction and had jack-knifed in slippery conditions; while the truck cab rolled into a culvert, the trailer collided with the oncoming SUV.

The driver, a 41-year-old man, and a 23-year-old passenger, have been hospitalized as a result of the accident, while the 39-year-old truck driver was reported to be uninjured

The original Tartu Postimees article is here.

Comedy Estonia: We have lost a great friend and a top comic

Comedy Estonia issued a statement on its Facebook page Saturday stating that the organization had lost a great friend and comedian in Tambet.

"It is really tough to describe the pain we are feeling right now. Tambet held a special place in all of our hearts, and we were united by a love for stand-up. Making people laugh was the most important thing in his life, and he carried that out with great dedication," the statement continued.

"He was the future of Estonian comedy. In fact, he was much more than that. Tambet was a good person all-in-all. He wouldn't even have hurt a fly, but instead would catch it in a glass, and set it free."

"The whole Comedy Estonia family expresses its deepest sympathies to Tambet's family and loved ones and we will support them in every possible way during this difficult time."

The statement added that Comedy Estonia founder Louis Zezeran, who was driving the passenger vehicle involved, was out of hospital, and the organization asked the public for understanding and to give him all the space needed for recovery.

The other passenger in the car, a 23-year-old man, is still in hospital, and the statement wished them the best for their recovery, and also thanked the police and the rescue board for their response after Thursday's accident.

From this Sunday, Comedy Estonia's autumn tour will continue, in memory and respect for Tambet, who would certainly have wanted the show to go on, and as the best way to keep his soul and passion still with us, the statement concluded.