Bus crashes into family in Taichung, killing mother and young child

A 30-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son were killed late Tuesday when a bus making a left turn crashed into them as they legally crossed an intersection in the North District of Taichung, city authorities said.

According to the Taichung Police Department, the accident occurred as the woman, her husband, and child were crossing Yingcai Rd. at its intersection with Xueshi Rd. at around 11:15 p.m.

As they were crossing, a city bus on the No. 280 route made a left turn on a green light onto Yingcai Rd. and, apparently failing to see the pedestrians, plowed into the two adults and their child in a stroller, police said.

The three were immediately taken to China Medical University Hospital, where the mother, surnamed Lee (?), and her child were pronounced dead. The father, an Iraqi national, was treated for minor injuries.

The father, identified by the Chinese surname Chi (?), told media after the crash that they had been walking in the crosswalk and were almost across the street when the bus, moving at a high rate of speed, made a left turn into them.

His account was confirmed by witnesses of the accident, who said the family had been legally crossing at a crosswalk but appeared to have been in the driver’s “blind spot,” as he did not reduce the bus’s speed before killing the woman and her child.

Meanwhile, the 53-year-old driver, surnamed Chen (?), said he had not seen the family due to the dim lighting in the area, and only realized something had happened after feeling a “bump” on the back end of his bus.

Chen declined to go into more detail, other than to say he felt “very sorry” for what happened and would cooperate with the investigation.

On Wednesday, the Taichung Police Department said they were planning to review CCTV footage from the bus and the site of the crash to determine exactly what had happened.

The city’s Transportation Bureau said it would issue a NT$75,000 (US$2,437) fine to Fengyuan Bus Transportation Co., which operates the No. 280 route, and dock points from its performance evaluation, which will affect how much it can receive in local government subsidies.

A Taichung court on Wednesday set bail for Chen at NT$100,000.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel