– Everything changed that day. Everything. Early in the morning on 11 March 2021, Emilia Thorstensen Gudbrandsrud drives to school alone in bad weather. Her car is thrown and collides head-on with a truck. Emilia dies aged 19. Mamma Hilde Gudbrandsrud loses her beloved daughter, and the mother’s role was suddenly changed. – You get an identity crisis. I have been a mother all my adult life, and suddenly I was practically no longer a mother. HIT THE CAR: Emilia Thorstensen Gudbrandsrud collided head-on with a lorry on the way to school. Photo: Privat On Sunday evening, Hilde Gudbrandsrud shared her story at the memorial for traffic victims. It was an atmospheric and worthy experience with speeches and strong stories indoors for the many who had turned up. Outside, they gathered in torchlight processions where the frosty smoke stood in stark contrast through the torches of the illuminated buildings. LIGHT FOR REFLECTION: Many braved the cold and turned up for the commemoration and torchlight procession in Stokke on Sunday evening. Photo: Robert Hansen / news 2023 was the year when the statistics of people killed in traffic on Norwegian roads again pointed upwards. On a national basis, 118 people died in traffic in 2023, compared to 116 people in 2022. – What is your most important message to those who take part in the commemoration? – That they are not alone. That there is someone out there that you can talk to. That there are more people in the same situation. Emilia’s mum hopes that her participation can help make a difference for someone. It means a lot to her to participate. Transport Minister Jon Ivar Nygård also participated in “Light for reflection” in Stokke. THE MINISTER SPEECH: Transport Minister Jon Ivar Nygård took part in the commemoration. Photo: Robert Hansen / news Those present remembered Emilia, and the others who have lost their lives in traffic in the past year. – It is powerful to get concrete stories about how this affects people’s lives, said the Minister for Transport after the session. According to this overview from Trygg Trafikk, several counties will have similar events in the coming weeks. Emilia’s mother thinks it’s good to make traffic victims visible with torches and lights, and she wants the young people in particular to get involved. She hopes this can reduce the number of accidents in traffic. DIED YOUNG: Emilia Thorstensen Gudbrandsrud was only 19 years old. On Sunday, Emilia and other traffic victims were remembered with a torchlight procession in Stokke. Photo: Private – It is terrible to see that the number of people killed in traffic on a national basis increased last year. I think a lot can be prevented, including with such a marking, concludes Gudbrandsrud.
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Memorial marking for traffic victims – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
