TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two men were killed, and a woman was badly injured after a BMW taken out on a test drive suddenly collided with a tree at at least 140 kph.
At 8:35 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 12), the Taoyuan City Fire Department received a report that a vehicle had crashed into a tree at No. 180 Dongyong North Road in Taoyuan City's Bade District. The department dispatched 21 firefighters and 10 vehicles to the scene, reported ETtoday.
(Taoyuan Police Department photo)
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found that the car's frame had been badly warped as it wrapped around a tree and three people were trapped inside. Firefighters immediately requested the support of a special search team and utilized hydraulic equipment to pry open the mangled vehicle to free the passengers pinned inside.
However, the two men who were seated in the front suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), while a 26-year-old woman sitting in the back was conscious but had suffered fractures in both legs and was in a great deal of pain. The two men were sent to Taoyuan General Hospital and Taoyuan Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate them, and they were both declared dead.
(Taoyuan Police Department photo)
According to a preliminary investigation, a 29-year-old man surnamed Lin (林) and his new bride had been looking to buy a second-hand car for travel shortly after their wedding. A 31-year-old owner of a car dealership also surnamed Lin (林) joined the couple on a test drive that night for a gold BMW M3.
Brand new, the car sells for NT$5.58 million (US$179,000), but as it was used and had over 100,000 kilometers on its odometer, the price for the car was about NT$2.38 million. The owner of the dealership joined the couple on the test drive on Dongyong North Road, which is popular with luxury car owners because it is wide and straight with the nickname "Dongyong Racetrack."
(Taoyuan Police Department photo)
The site of the accident is only 850 meters away from the car dealership and only takes about two minutes to reach at a normal rate of speed. For unknown reasons, the car suddenly spun out of control and smashed into a tree on the side of the road.
The needle on the speedometer was found to be still stuck at 140 kph and taking into account the fact that it had decelerated to some extent from braking, the original speed at the time of the accident was likely even higher. Police found that the blood alcohol level of the younger Lin, who was behind the wheel, was zero.
(Taoyuan Police Department photo)
That evening, heavy rains had been reported across northern Taiwan due to the periphery of Typhoon Muifa, with an extremely heavy rain advisory in place for mountainous areas of Taoyuan City. The exact cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Speedometer stuck at 140 kph. (Taoyuan Police Department photo)