A bus driver who crashed while attempting to use a scooter underpass in Kaohsiung, killing one, is being investigated for manslaughter, police said yesterday.
The Kaohsiung Police Department’s Renwu (仁武) Precinct said in a statement that it received a report of a vehicle crashing into a Sun Yat Sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) underpass on Shueiguan Road at about 8pm on Wednesday.
An 80-year-old male passenger surnamed Chou (周) died at the scene, while 14 passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, the precinct said.
Photo: Hung Ting-hung, Taipei Times
The bus driver, a 56-year-old man surnamed Teng (鄧), told police he had attempted to use the underpass to save time, the precinct said.
The underpass is designated for scooter traffic only and was too small to accommodate the bus, police said.
Signage above the underpass says 2m for the scooter passage and 4.3m of clearance for the main underpass.
Teng was driving a group of 25 tourists and a tour guide who were on a day trip to Alishan (阿里山) in Nantou County and the crash happened on the return journey, the precinct said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Highway Bureau said in a statement yesterday that Teng has three traffic violations in the past six years for not paying attention to his surroundings when reversing a vehicle, not following traffic signs and illegal parking.
The tour bus, provided by Feng Mann Tour Bus Co, was manufactured in November 2021 and passed an inspection on Oct. 6 last year, the bureau said.
It ordered Feng Mann to properly handle compensation matters for the injured passengers.
Company staff went to the hospitals to offer their condolences, the bureau said.
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