Two kids killed on pedestrian crossings by speeding motorists in separate incidents a few hours apart
A five-year-old girl was killed in Taichung City, and an 11-year-old boy lost his life in Hualien County yesterday, after motorists sped through zebra crossings, and failed to yield to pedestrians.
Taichung City
At around 4:00pm in Nantun District, Taichung City, a mother and her 5-year-old daughter were crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing on Liming Road at the intersection of Yongchun East Road, when a small truck driven by a 32-year-old man named Lee executed a right turn from Yongchun East and ran over the child.
Lee told police that he had a green light at the time, and did not see the pedestrians. He only became aware he had hit someone after he heard the mother shouting.
The child had been dragged under the truck for several meters by the time the driver stopped, and had suffered severe head and chest injuries. By the time paramedics arrived, the girl had lost vital signs, and although heartbeat and breathing was restored shortly after arriving at the hospital, the girl succumbed to her injuries and was declared dead at 6:50pm.
In making her statement to police, the girl’s distraught mother said that she had been to Japan and noticed that drivers there showed consideration to pedestrians: “why can’t Taiwan people do it?” the mother pleaded.
Hualien County
At around 6:15pm, in Ji’an Township, Hualien County, a 12-year-old boy was on his way home from after school childcare when he was struck by a car on a pedestrian crossing on Jixing Road.
As the light for vehicular traffic turned amber, the boy began crossing the road, without waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green.
At the same time, a man named Zheng, driving a black sedan, responded to the light turning amber by accelerating.
Zheng’s car hit the boy at high speed. Traffic monitor footage showed the child flying into the air after hitting and smashing the windshield of the car, and landing around 100 meters away from the pedestrian crossing.
The boy had no signs of life when paramedics arrived at the scene, and he was declared dead one hour later at Tzu Chi Hospital.
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Sources: Apple Daily, United Daily News.
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