Cyclist killed after being hit by bus in Riga, over a dozen injured in road accidents nationwide
State Police have opened a criminal investigation after a bus struck two cyclists in Riga, killing one of them. Across Latvia yesterday, 14 people were injured in traffic accidents and nearly 500 violations were recorded.
A serious road accident occurred in Riga in which two cyclists were struck by a bus, and one of them died. State Police have opened a criminal investigation to establish the circumstances of the incident.
Accidents across the country
Yesterday, 14 people were injured in traffic accidents across Latvia. Most occurred in the Riga region, where nine people were hurt, followed by three in Vidzeme and one each in Zemgale, Kurzeme and Latgale. Among the injured were five cyclists, two e-scooter riders and one pedestrian.
On Friday evening, rescuers also responded to a car crash in the Mālpils parish of Sigulda municipality, where firefighters used hydraulic tools to free a person trapped in the vehicle. The injured person was handed over to emergency medical staff.
In addition, a bus engine compartment caught fire on Daugavgrīva Street in Riga in the afternoon. Forty people managed to evacuate the bus before firefighters arrived.
Hundreds of violations recorded
Police detained nine drivers yesterday for driving under the influence of alcohol, with the highest number of such cases recorded in Latgale. Seven of those detained were found to be so severely intoxicated that they face criminal liability, which also means confiscation of their vehicle or recovery of its value.
A total of 196 reports were filed for speeding, most of them in Vidzeme (62) and Latgale (51), while only one driver was fined in the Riga region. Two drivers were penalized for aggressive driving.
In total, police issued 474 reports for various traffic violations over the course of the day.
