TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — At least three people died and multiple people were seriously injured in different traffic accidents on Taiwan’s roads on Monday (Feb. 5).
The three deaths occurred in two separate incidents in Changhua and Hualien counties. The first incident occurred when a man surnamed Huang was driving a light truck on Provincial Highway 76 in Changhua County at around 2 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed through a guard rail, per CNA.
The truck then fell ten meters from the road, apparently landing on its roof on the ground below. Both Huang and a passenger in the vehicle died from the impact of the crash, and police said the exact cause of the crash is under investigation.
In addition, in Changhua on Monday, rescue teams attended to a traffic accident involving six vehicles that caused two to suffer severe injuries. The six-vehicle accident reportedly caused a five-kilometer traffic jam.
The second fatal incident occurred at around 4 p.m. in Hualien. A 22-year-old man surnamed Lin was riding a scooter when a woman turned across his path and struck him. Lin was fatally injured in the crash and died at a nearby hospital.
Lin was reportedly a soldier on active duty. Police said the woman driving the vehicle had not consumed alcohol at the time of the crash and received minor cuts to her hands. The exact cause of the collision is under investigation.
Emergency services staff attend to a traffic accident in Changhua County on Monday. (CNA photo)
Meanwhile, in Taichung’s Wuri District, two passenger cars collided as one attempted to make a lane change. Three people were injured in the accident and two were sent to an intensive care unit at a nearby hospital.
A woman surnamed Tsai (蔡) and a man surnamed Wang (王) received serious head injuries in the crash and were intubated. A woman surnamed Lin (林) received non-life-threatening injuries.
Police reminded the public to use turn signals in advance, maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, and give way to vehicles passing when changing lanes.
Before any of the above incidents occurred, a driver escaped uninjured after his car caught fire at around 6 a.m. After noticing white smoke from his car’s engine, a man surnamed Hsu (許) pulled over on the Xinying section of National Highway 1 in Tainan.
The 17-year-old vehicle was quickly and completely engulfed in flames. Hsu called emergency services which extinguished the blaze before 7 a.m.
Authorities reminded the public to regularly inspect vehicles before driving to avoid similar incidents.
A car burns on the side of the highway in Tainan on Monday. (CNA photo)
