It was during the night towards Saturday that two cars collided in central Stockholm. In one of the cars was 57-year-old Lotta Hellstrand along with her 25-year-old son. Both were seriously injured in the crash, but Hellstrand’s life could not be saved. In the other car sat a 20-year-old man from Syria. According to witnesses, the man was traveling at nearly 200 kilometers per hour through Stockholm before the accident. The man has admitted to driving the car but denies any wrongdoing.
The serious traffic accident took place at around 1 a.m. on September 12, at the intersection of Karlavägen and Sibyllegatan in Östermalm. During the crash, one of the cars also slammed into parked vehicles.
The incident has since been investigated as a suspected serious traffic offense, and the 20-year-old man, who has citizenship in Sweden and Syria, has been arrested and is now also detained on suspicion of a long list of crimes.
He is suspected on probable cause of causing another person’s death, aggravated offense, causing bodily harm, aggravated offense, gross negligence in traffic, and fleeing the scene of a traffic accident, aggravated offense.
In one of the cars were 57-year-old Lotta Hellstrand and her son. The woman was taken to hospital after the accident but later died from her injuries. The son, who is around 25, was seriously injured.
Left the Scene and Had a Beer
After the accident, the man driving the other car is said to have left the scene. He was later apprehended in central Stockholm, but according to the prosecutor, he first went to a bar.
– We know that the suspect left the scene of the accident and went to a bar. From there he continued on, and then he was arrested, says prosecutor Anna Meyrowitsch.
Aftonbladet has concurrently reported that after the crash, the man went to a pub where he ordered a beer.
High Speed
Witnesses who saw the crash have stated that the Syrian was traveling at a very high speed in the area before the collision. Aftonbladet mentions speeds up to 200 kilometers per hour.
Prosecutor Anna Meyrowitsch has said several people saw the actual event but that it remains unclear what the driver is aware of regarding his actions. Legal documents show he was admitted to a psychiatric ward after the crash. However, he is reportedly no longer there.
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Since then, he has been detained on probable cause under suspicion of, among other things, causing another person’s death, gross negligence in traffic, aggravated bodily harm and fleeing from a traffic accident. There are further suspicions that the man was driving under the influence and potentially using narcotics.
Denies the Crime
The Syrian, who is in his twenties and registered in Södertälje, has admitted to being the driver at the time of the accident. However, he denies any wrongdoing, and his defense attorney states that the man was not aware of his actions when the accident occurred.
The issue of the man’s awareness has become central to the ongoing legal process.
– The legal question here will be whether he was sufficiently aware of his actions so that he can be held legally responsible for these crimes, prosecutor Anna Meyrowitsch tells SVT.
Sports Club in Mourning
The grief after Lotta Hellstrand’s death is great at IFK Lidingö Friidrott, where she was a board member and for several years was involved as both a leader and coach. In 2023, she was named both Leader of the Year and Volunteer of the Year at the IFK Gala.
The previous weekend, more than a hundred people gathered at Lidingövallen for a memorial for Hellstrand, where a minute’s silence was observed.
– She was a fantastic person and very, very appreciated. Both within the club, but also as a friend to many, both adults and young people. She was incredibly present and took care of everything and everyone, said club chairman Jonas Engelblom to Aftonbladet.
The club has also published a post on social media commemorating Lotta Hellstrand.
