1 dead, 3 injured, after out of control car mounts sidewalk in New Taipei City

An elderly woman selling vegetables on the roadside died, and two pedestrians were injured, after a driver accidentally stepped on the gas, sending his car careering onto the sidewalk in Xindian District, New Taipei City, this evening, December 28.

According to reports in Liberty Times, and United Daily News, at around 5:50 pm, a 70-year-old man, named Zheng, stopped his car to allow his wife to exit to purchase some vegetables. Zheng was preparing to execute a U-turn when his two-year-old grandchild fell out of his child safety seat. Zheng quickly turned around to take care of the child, and his foot accidentally pressed on the accelerator.

Zheng’s car careered across the road, and ran over a 68-year-old woman who was selling vegetables on the kerb, before mounting the raised sidewalk and hitting two pedestrians.

Paramedics found the vegetable vendor to have lost vital signs at the scene of the accident, and she was declared dead after being rushed to Tzu Chi Hospital. Two pedestrians were sent to Cardinal Tien Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Mr Zheng was treated for a bruise to his head, and the two-year-old child was found to be uninjured after a medical examination.

Police breath-tested Mr Zheng and found that he was not affected by alcohol.

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