Kuusamo investigates fatal ATV accident at Ruka involving city employee
A city employee in Kuusamo died on Monday after an ATV accident while performing work-related duties at Ruka. The incident has prompted investigations by the City of Kuusamo, police, and the Permit and Supervision Authority.
The accident occurred around 8:00 AM near the ski stadium at Rukatunturi, specifically in the terrain of a small ski jump (Yle). Ilta-Sanomat reports that the incident took place on the hill of Ruka’s large ski jump at approximately 8:15 AM. The victim, a man born in the 1960s, became trapped under the overturned ATV and died at the scene. According to Kaleva (cited in Ilta-Sanomat), the man had contacted a coworker about the accident before rescue personnel were alerted.
Jari Karsikko, acting city manager of Kuusamo, confirmed that the victim was a longtime employee of the city. "This has deeply shaken our workplace community," Karsikko told Kaleva (Ilta-Sanomat). The city has arranged psychological support for employees and plans to visit the family of the deceased. Flags at Kuusamo City Hall were flown at half-mast on Monday in honor of the victim (Ilta-Sanomat).
Ongoing investigations
The Oulu Police Department is investigating the incident as both a cause-of-death inquiry and a workplace accident. The City of Kuusamo is also conducting its own review under the leadership of its occupational safety manager (Yle). Karsikko stated that the city takes occupational safety seriously and has actively instructed employees on safety protocols. "Once the results of the investigations are clear, we will assess whether the guidelines need to be reviewed," he said (Yle).
At this stage, city representatives have not provided further details on the cause of the accident. The Permit and Supervision Authority has also been notified of the incident (Yle).
