TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An elderly motorist has died from an apparent suicide after he allegedly struck and killed a female scooter driver with his vehicle and fled the scene.
A fatal car accident occurred in Taoyuan City's Daoyuan District on Monday (Sept. 25) when a scooter driven by a 23-year-old woman surnamed Liang (梁) was struck by a white sedan driven by a 69-year-old man surnamed Liao (廖) who made an illegal left turn onto her lane, reported FTNN News. She lost all vital signs was was pronounced dead after being sent to the hospital.
According to the Taoyuan City Police Department, Liang was riding her scooter at 2 p.m. on Monday when she entered the intersection of Huaxing Road, Section 2, and Hangcheng Road, Section 2. As can be seen in a video of the incident, Liao made a left turn across the double-yellow lines into Liang's lane just as she was passing through the intersection, giving her no time to avoid his car, leading to a head-on collision.
Liao's car (right) turns left into Liang's lane. (Taoyuan City Police Department screenshot)
When paramedics arrived at the scene, Liang had lost all signs of life and they immediately commenced CPR. They rushed her to a nearby hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate her, and she was declared dead.
Video of the incident showed that Liao got out of his vehicle immediately after the accident and looked at the victim briefly, but soon got back into his car and fled the scene. Police used surveillance camera footage to track his movements and located his car at a local temple in the Paotienshan Scenic Area in Yilan County's Su'ao Township at around 10 p.m. that evening.
However, he was found dead in a sheet metal house next to the temple. At the scene, police found a handwritten note and medication near his body.
Sheet metal structure where Liao's body was found. (Yilan County Police Department photo)
In the note, Liao wrote that he could tell that the female scooter driver was seriously injured, but that he lacked the means to provide compensation, reported SET News. "This is the only way to solve the problem," he said.
A preliminary investigation by police confirmed that there were no signs of a struggle at the scene and ruled out foul play. They will report the case to the Yilan District Prosecutor's Office for further examination.
Those considering suicide should immediately call the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center at 1925 or Taiwan Lifeline International at 1995. Foreign residents can call the Community Services Center's 24-hour emergency hotline at 0932-594-578.
