A bus driver in Stockholm told police he felt normal just before the fatal crash on November 14, when three women died and several were injured. The Accident Investigation Board has determined that a medical episode caused the crash, as the driver lost consciousness. The driver was initially arrested but later released with no suspicion of intent.
On November 14, shortly after 3 p.m., an SL bus drove straight into a bus shelter near KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Östermalm, Stockholm. Three women aged 55–65 died, and several people were injured in the violent crash on Valhallavägen.
The bus driver, who had worked five days straight and started his shift around lunchtime, had just dropped off passengers and planned to park the bus for a meal break. In a police interrogation obtained by TV4 Nyheterna, he described his last memories: “I felt normal. I was fully aware that I would drop off people, drive around, and then park the bus for a break.” He stated he did not feel tired.
Then everything went black for him. His next memory was after the crash: “I don’t know what happened, there was a pole in front of me.” It took a while before he realized he was in the bus and on duty. Police tried to open the doors, which he could not manage himself.
The Accident Investigation Board determined in early December that a medical episode caused the crash and that the driver was unconscious. Bus surveillance cameras show him unconscious. The driver was initially arrested on suspicion of causing others' death and bodily harm through negligence, but the prosecutor found no suspicion of intent and released him.
When police asked about his medical history, the driver said he had visited a doctor two to three years ago, but “they found nothing.” No further details about his health have emerged in the investigation.
