Two Drivers Suspected of Deliberately Ramming Motorcycle Riders in Kaohsiung City
Two separate accidents in Kaohsiung City this week are suspected to have involved car drivers deliberately ramming heavy motorcycles, leaving one man dead.
Late night, October 1, a 25 year-old man named Hong was riding a heavy motorcycle on Jiuru 4th Road in Gushan District when he was chased by a man driving a white Mazda sedan. The car driver overtook the motorcycle on the right, sounded his horn, then swerved left and sideswiped the motorcycle, causing the rider to crash.
The driver then sped off and escaped the scene of the accident.
The motorcycle rider suffered minor injuries, but was able to stand up and walk away from the accident.
At around 2:00am, police arrested a 24 year-old man, also named Hong. Hong, who has a criminal record for drug offences, denied that he had intentionally crashed into the motorcycle, and claimed that he did not know that he had hit the rider. An alcohol breath test confirmed that Hong was not drunk driving at the time of the incident.
Dashcam footage from the motorcycle suggested that Hong’s testimony was inaccurate and Hong was handed over to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of malicious driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Rider Killed after being Rammed from Behind
At 11:36am, the following day, October 2, a 65 year-old man named Liang, riding a heavy motorcycle on Cheng-gong Road in Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City, was rammed from behind at high speed by a white Toyota sedan.
Liang flew off the motorcycle, which was dragged 148 meters until the car collided with the center traffic island. Liang had severe head injuries, lost vital signs at the scene of the accident, and was declared dead at the hospital at 1:34pm.
The driver of the sedan, a 41 year-old man named Lin, was breath-tested and found to have not been influenced by alcohol.
During the police interrogation, officers asked Lin if he had accelerated to hit the motorcycle. Lin denied the accusation and said that Liang’s erratic lane changes had been the cause of the accident.
On October 3, dashcam footage from the motorcycle was uploaded to a motorcycle enthusiasts group of Facebook. The footage suggested that the motorcycle was a safe distance from the car following and that the driver of the car had accelerated before hitting the motorcycle, and had not braked.
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