– Immediately when I found out it was Preben, I went into a black room. Filled with sorrow and care for those left behind. That’s what Ramona Lind says to news. In 2019, she lost her son Charlie Dan Lind in a truck accident. On Monday, her cousin, 31-year-old Preben-André Bergseng Lind from Vesterålen, also died in a collision with a train, in Gausvik outside Harstad. – When I move out of the black room, it turns into anger at experiencing this again, says Lind. – Has relinquished responsibility In November 2022, Lind was elected as union leader in the Transport and Logistics Association (TLF). Since she lost her license in 2019, she has worked to get traffic safety higher on the priority list. – This is starting to become a trend. They cannot call this an accident. There are criminal acts that take place on the part of the authorities, she believes. Lind calls the whole thing a system failure. Now she calls for action rather than words from the Norwegian Road Administration and politicians. – They have abdicated responsibility for us who use vegans, because they look at price and climate and not at traffic safety and safe roads. The newspaper Vesterålen has discussed the case. Has nothing to do with veganism Lind is very critical of modular vehicle trains being allowed to run on northern Norwegian roads. A modular truck train is longer than normal truck trains and semi-trailers. – They have nothing to do with Northern Norwegian roads at all. We don’t have a single road in Northern Norway that can handle that traffic. These wagon trains have come to utilize capacity at the lowest possible price. She does not speculate on the accident until the investigation is finished, out of consideration for those involved and the driver, who will carry this with them further on in life. TLF is considering reporting the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to the police. – We probably won’t get anywhere with it, but someone has to answer for it. Politicians must familiarize themselves with and understand what is going on and the consequences of the transport policy being pursued. And the consequences are far too great, believes Lind. – The consequences of losing someone, of losing a child or another family member, are so great that it would not have been so easy to just let the accident pass and become a number in a statistic. Karianne Ervik in the colleague help of the Norwegian Truck Owners Association (NLF). Photo: Børge Hoseth / news – A big trauma Karianne Ervik is a former lorry driver, but now works in the colleague help for the Norwegian Truck Owners’ Association (NLF). Colleague Help was started in 1995 and is an offer to drivers and car owners who have been involved in a serious accident. – The first thing that comes to mind is the deceased and their relatives. In the next round, it is my role as a colleague helper to find out how the driver involved is doing. She said that they have a colleague helping with the driver who was involved in the accident in Harstad. – The lorry drivers mostly come away physically unharmed from such incidents. But they must carry this on with them, and it is a great trauma to have been involved in such an accident. – Regardless of fault and cause, says Ervik. The colleague helper emphasizes that most truck drivers spend their days alone behind the wheel, and that gathering and talking about what one has experienced is therefore important. MOURNING BANDS: On Tuesday, all taxis in Harstad Taxi have black mourning bands above the taxi sign. Photo: Børge Hoseth / news Black mourning bands above the taxi sign Martin Sætervik is a security agent at Harstad Taxi. He was called about the accident at 09.30 Monday morning. – We have lost a good colleague. Everyone is in shock and in deep sorrow, says Sætervik. On Tuesday, all the taxis in Harstad Taxi have black mourning bands over the taxi sign. The driver was at work when the car he was driving collided with the trailer of a truck. – He had driven to Stokmarknes and was on his way back to Harstad when it happened. Sætervik says that the employees have lit candles and written a memorial text about the driver who died. They must give the memorial text to the next of kin during the funeral. Martin Sætervik, security agent at Harstad Taxi. Photo: Børge Hoseth / news In addition, the employees at Harstad Taxi have used the last two days to talk to each other about what has happened. – Everyone has become aware that you have a profession where you have a risk with what you do every day. This could have been anyone of those who drive with us, and it makes more people think about what could happen, says Sætervik. Carry out thorough studies – First, we want to express great sympathy and have great understanding that the relatives are in despair after such a tragic event, says Guro Ranes in the Norwegian Road Administration. She explains that they work every day to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in traffic, and that this is one of their most important goals. Guro Ranes, director of the Norwegian Road Administration. Photo: Statens vegvesen – When it comes to this particular accident, it happened recently and we currently know far too little about the cause and what caused it to have such a serious outcome. – Is a modular vehicle train safe to drive on northern Norwegian roads? – A modular vehicle train is a legal vehicle on Norwegian roads. An assessment has been made that there is reasonable and sufficient security with the use of this type of vehicle, says Ranes. She explains that the National Roads Administration will carry out an in-depth study of this accident, in common with all other fatal accidents, in order to map out the causal relationship. – Through these studies, we will be able to find out more about what contributes to these serious accidents, and also to what extent this with modular vehicle trains in itself is a bigger challenge than we have thought so far.
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Son and cousin lost in truck accident in northern Norway – news Nordland
