Police officer killed in road accident

A police officer was killed last Dec. 5 trying to stop a speeding car in Tallinn's southern suburb.

According to the police, junior traffic police inspector Karmo Tiivel and his partner were working a speed check on Parnu Road at about 6 a.m. when they noticed an Audi that was driving too fast.

The speed radar showed 111 kilometers per hour on the 50-kilometer per hour highway. Tiivel stepped out of his patrol car and signaled the speeding car to stop, but it ignored the order and hit him at full speed.

Tiivel died immediately.

Karmo Tiivel joined the police in 1992 and would have celebrated his 36th birthday Dec. 9.

The police said Tiivel was wearing the obligatory day-glow yellow west and it was virtually impossible not to spot him.

The police reported the Audi driver Jevgeni G., 21, a student at the national defense academy, was drunk at the time of the tragedy and had a 1.75 blood alcohol count.

The killer-car had the green maple leaf on its windscreen, the obligatory sign of a rookie driver. Jevgeni received his driver's license only a month ago, according to police.

If convicted, he might face up to 15-year imprisonment. The national defense academy expelled Jevgeni the next day after the accident.

Minister of Interior Ain Seppik awarded Tiivel a First Class Service Cross, the highest award available for police officers, posthumously Dec. 9.

In accordance with the police service regulations, the family of a police officer killed on duty also receives his 10-year salary, which amounts to about 500,000 kroons (32,000 euros) for Tiivel.

"Tiivel's 10 years with the police force were impeccable. He died as a hero, and he lived as a hero because he was a policeman," wrote Seppik in the condolence letter he sent to the deceased officer's wife and four-year-old son.

After the accident, Estonian Neighbor Watch, an NGO focused on crime prevention, called for all traffic participants to follow the rules. "If you happen to notice a traffic hooligan, call the police number 110.

"By reporting the registration number and the direction of the traffic terrorist you can help police to prevent possible accidents," read the address.