Two dead, one person critical after car hit by cement truck catches fire on West Coast Expressway

A woman and a child died, and a man suffered burns to 50% of his body, after a car was hit by a cement truck and caught fire on the West Coast Expressway in Qingshui District, Taichung City today, March 20.

Taichung City Fire Department dispatched personnel to the scene of the accident at the 153 kilometer north mark of the West Coast Expressway (Provincial Highway 61) after receiving reports of the accident at 2:20 pm.

The 54-year-old driver survived the crash and was rushed to Tung’s Taichung Metro Harbor Hospital. The man’s condition was described as critical, with 3rd degree burns to 70-80% of his body.

The charred bodies of a 17-year-old female, and a two-year-old infant were found in the car after firefighters extinguished the fire.

According to reports, the driver was a man named Gen, and the deceased were Gen’s niece and grandson.

Compounding the tragedy is the fact that the three extended family members had just traveled from Miaoli County to Taichung City to visit Mr Gen’s daughter in hospital. Mr Gen’s 19-year-old daughter was seriously injured in a car accident last month, in which her husband and one-year-old son died. The infant who died in today’s accident was also the injured woman’s child.

The 46-year-old driver of the cement truck, named Lin is being held for investigation by the Taichung City Police Department. Lin was tested and found not to be affected by alcohol at the time of the crash. Lin claimed that the car had just entered the expressway from an onramp and suddenly braked in front of his vehicle.

Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.