Lars Berglund, who has been leading the investigation, grabbed headlines after telling Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet on Thursday that the person driving the crash car may have acted intentionally.
“It looks like the driver acted deliberately,” he was quoted as saying, describing the moment the car drove up to one of two safety barriers on a canal crossing at Södertälje, before crashing off the bridge.
However, he later appeared to backtrack on his comments in an interview with regional newspaper LT.
“My hypothesis is that he was inattentive for some reason, was speaking on his mobile or turning around to the others in the car and did not noticed the barrier in time,” Berglund told the paper.
The vehicle's roof hit the barrier when it had risen 1.5 metres to allow a vessel to pass underneath, likely killing or injuring the band members at the point of impact, according to reports in Swedish media.
“As far as I can see most (of them) perished on the bridge. It could be that someone in the backseat did not hit their head there. But the fall is then a 30-metre free fall,” Berglund told Aftonbladet.
However, he also told LT that his team was investigating the possibility that the driver fainted after hitting the first barrier and continued towards the second barrier at the edge of the bridge with his foot still on the gas pedal.
He said nothing suggested the crash was a suicide attempt: “Nothing indicates that the driver was depressed. Everyone was happy and upbeat after a successful gig in Norrköping.”
Viola Beach, the band who died in the crash. Photo: Viola Beach/Facebook
The Local has been unable to reach Berglund despite several attempts. The duty press spokesperson for Stockholm police, when contacted, was unable to provide further details.
“I can't confirm it and the best thing is for him to explain what he means by 'deliberately',” said Kjell Lindgren.
The police investigation into what happened remains ongoing, with Lindgren confirming to The Local that officers “haven't got all the results from the tests”.
He said that he had been fielding numerous calls from UK media keen to find out more information about the latest reports.
Earlier this month the preliminary results of an autopsy suggested that the person behind the wheel when the British band and their driver crashed in Södertälje this month was not drunk.
Police have also previously told The Local that all of the warning lights on the bridge were working correctly at the time of the crash.
All four members of British indie band Viola Beach and their manager died when a car broke through two barriers and plummeted from a canal bridge at Södertälje south of Stockholm on February 13th.
It has not been made public who was driving the vehicle at the time.
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