“Taxi Crash in Torgallmenningen: Investigation Underway”

The case is updated

– This could have turned ugly, says operations manager Frode Kolltveit in the West police district to BA.

At 05:00 on Saturday, there was a large gathering of emergency services at Torgallmenningen.

A taxi stood with the front crashed into a small bench outside the closed Narvesen kiosk. On the way there, it had forced both steps and posts.

Broken outdoor seating

At the Lille bar in Torggaten, approximately 120 meters away on foot, the outdoor seating area has been smashed.

The police have spoken to witnesses who have described that the taxi came down from the Vaskerelven, smashed the outdoor restaurant and then continued at a relatively high speed down Torggaten.

The tour then went past the Blue Stone and ended outside the Narvesen kiosk, after “flying” up a small flight of stairs. The fixed posts on Torgallmenningen are there as a safety measure, and one was apparently cut down.

Here was the journey:

Investigating the case

In the morning hours, the police photographed the circumstances and spoke to witnesses at the scene. The first message came in at 0441.

Operations manager Frode Kolltveit says that it is currently being investigated as a traffic accident. It does not appear to be an intentional act.

– We carry out tactical and technical investigations into the matter. Witnesses who saw at least parts of the incident have been interviewed, and we have several names of people we will be talking to, he says.

The taxi was picked up by a tow truck and will be examined to find out whether there was anything wrong with the car. P

Crowded with people in the past

BA itself ran the same route shortly after midnight. Then there was a bustling public life and people everywhere.

– It is almost a miracle that it went so well, and that the driver of the car is the only one who sustained injuries. If this trip had happened earlier, when there were a number of people in these places, it would have been disastrous, says Kolltveit.

After the pubs close, many people gather precisely at Torgallmenningen to eat dinner.

– This could have gone much worse. One is just at the mercy of the fact that there were no people there when the trip took place, says the operations manager.

Driver to hospital

The taxi driver, a man in his 40s, was taken to Haukeland Hospital for examinations. He was conscious and out of the car when the police arrived.

– We spoke to him, but the extent of the damage is unknown to me as of now, says Kolltveit.

A blood sample is secured by the driver.

It is not the first time a taxi has crashed after a disturbing journey on Torgallmenningen.

In February last year, a taxi got out of control and eventually ended up in the facade of a shop in Starvhusgaten. Then the police stated that the car was parked and began to roll, before it increased speed when the driver got in.