The key facts
- In Chelyabinsk, a temporary traffic light fell on a child due to strong winds; the child suffered facial bruises.
- The prosecutor's office will examine the circumstances of the incident and the work of the organization maintaining the traffic light network.
- A storm warning was in effect in the city the day before; the wind had already been toppling trees and damaging infrastructure.
Traffic light falls on a child at the intersection of Krasnoznamennaya and Ostrovsky streets
In Chelyabinsk, a temporary traffic light structure at the intersection of Krasnoznamennaya and Ostrovsky streets could not withstand strong winds and fell on a child. As the oversight agency told RIA Novosti, the victim was diagnosed with facial bruises and received medical assistance. The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the incident.
Witnesses reported the fall, but no information about casualties arrived at first
The city road facilities committee said that witnesses reported the traffic light's fall to the dispatcher, and the structure was promptly restored. However, at first no information about casualties was received either by emergency services, or by the Chelyabinsk city administration — the information about the child's injury became known later, through the prosecutor's office.
What the prosecutor's office is checking, and the bad weather against which the incident occurred
The prosecutor's office will examine the circumstances of the fall and the actions of the organization responsible for maintaining the traffic light network. Based on the results of the inspection, decisions will be made on prosecutorial response measures and on recovering compensation for the harm caused to the child.
Context of the November 6 storm
The day before the incident, a storm warning had been declared in Chelyabinsk due to strong winds. Life.ru previously reported on the consequences of the powerful storm that hit Chelyabinsk on November 6: on Ovchinnikova Street, part of a wooden canopy from the metrotram construction site collapsed onto a passing car; the driver was unharmed. On Revolution Square, the wind toppled a fir tree, and at the intersection of Komarova and Bazhov streets, a stele collapsed. According to the Emergency Ministry's forecasts, wind gusts in some districts of the region could reach 25 meters per second or higher. Thus, the traffic light's fall became another episode in a series of damage to the city's infrastructure reported over two days.
