The accident occurred around 5:00 a.m. yesterday, when Lin, driving under the influence of alcohol, ran into a scooter that was being ridden by 41-year-old Lin Shu-chuan (林淑娟), the police reported. Lin Shu-chuan, who was on her way home after getting off the graveyard nursing shift at Country Hospital, sustained head injuries and showed no signs of life upon arrival at the Songshan Armed Forces General Hospital where attempts to resuscitate her proved futile.

Lin Shu-chun's relatives were seen on local news networks crying bitterly after they were informed of her death. She leaves behind an eight-year-old son.

Following an initial police investigation, Shino Lin was held by prosecutors for questioning but was later released on bail of NT$100,000.

Local television networks showed footage of a subdued Shino Lin who kept saying she was sorry as she was being detained for questioning.

Her agent Chuang Chih-wei also apologized to the victim's relatives and to the general public on behalf of Shino Lin yesterday afternoon.

Chuang said that Shino Lin knew that she has made a mistake.

"Shino was agitated and felt low," said the agent, adding that she told him visibility was very poor yesterday morning because of the torrential rain and she was not sure what happened when the accident occurred.

However according to the police, Shino Lin's breath alcohol reading was 1.1 milligrams per liter, way above the standard 0.25 mg/l.

Local cable news stations reported that Shino Lin was driving without license, but the police did not confirm the reports.

Shino Lin will be face fine and her drivers license will be suspended, the police said. Also because her breath alcohol reading was over 0.55 mg/l, she will be charged with involuntary manslaughter and violating the public safety code.

According to the Criminal Code, persons found guilty of violating the Offences Against Public Safety Law could be sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of no more than NT$30,000, while a conviction on charges of involuntary manslaughter could carry a sentence of two years in jail and a fine of no more than NT$2,000.

Shino Lin may also face a civil lawsuit as the relatives of drunk driving victims are entitled under the law to seek civil compensation.

Shino Lin scored a big hit in entertainment circles with her popular song "Fan" in 1999. She won the best new artist prize at the 10th Golden Melody Award that same year.

According to a report released by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday, drunk driving was the number one cause of road traffic accidents in 2006. The number of drunk driving fatalities have been rising over during the past three years at a rate of 26.5 percent annually. The statistics showed that drunk driving is most likely to occur during the periods midnight to 3 a.m., 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight.