Tommi Lepistö was awarded as the hero driver
Anticipation saved four young people
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Tanker driver Tommi Lepistö’s proactive driving style and exemplary actions on one Saturday evening saved the lives of four young people on Highway 13 in Äänekoski. Lepistö’s activities were recognised in the Hero as a Profession campaign and he was awarded the Hero of the Year 2024 at a gala held on 14.11.2024.
“I had unloaded in Äänekoski and drove to Hirvaskangas for a break. After the statutory break, I started driving towards Kaskinen along highway 13 in the early evening,” Tommi recounts the events of the October evening. Tommi, who has been driving tank vehicles for 30 years, soon noticed a passenger car approaching the intersection at a relatively high speed from the left.
“In the back of my mind I got the feeling that something different was happening. Not everything looks good,” recalls Tommi, who watched the car unfold and saw the car turn in front of him. At this point, Tommi braked hard, directing the empty tank combination to the right side of the roadway.
“A passenger car coming from the left hit the front left corner of my vehicle, and the force of the collision was indicated by, among other things, the bent track rod of my car. I believe that thanks to the anticipation, my foot was already on the brake pedal, which speeded up the start of braking,” says Tommi, who called the emergency services immediately after the collision. There were four young people in the car who, thanks to Tommi’s foresight and evasive maneuvering, survived the accident with moderate contusions.
“They all walked into the ambulance on their own feet,” says Tommi.
50-year-old Tommi Lepistö, who lives in Pirkkala, has worked with tank transports for 30 years and currently drives Wibax Logistics Oy’s tanker mainly in western and northern Finland. Lepistö himself considers anticipation and driving speed to be important factors for traffic safety.
“I always try to look a little further and I’m very precise when it comes to speed,” says Lepistö.
The appreciation was also joined by the Ammattina Sankari campaign jury, consisting of Bridgestone Finland, Rahtarit ry, Milcoasta, Scania Suomi and Heavy Equipment magazine, which selected Tommi Lepistö as the hero of the year 2024.
Tommi was rewarded with a prize sum of 5,000 euros at the Ammattina Sankari gala held in Helsinki on 14 November, half of which is traditionally directed to a charity chosen by Sankari.
Tommi Lepistö wants to donate the entire sum of 5,000 euros to charity. Tommi wants to direct half of the prize money to Tampere Central Hospital’s Paediatric Haematology and Cancer Unit to bring Christmas spirit. She wants to direct the other half to Christmas fundraisers in her home municipality of Pirkkala to bring light. Over the past fourteen years, the Hero as a Profession campaign has donated a total of EUR 57,357 to various charities.