Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) on Wednesday apologized for hitting two people while driving in his SUV the day before.
Lai, 73, was driving on a lane near Ruian Street in Daan District (大安) after 9pm on Tuesday and hit two women on a crosswalk as he made a left turn.
The two women, surnamed Chang (張), 63, and Tsai (蔡), 59, were knocked down. They were taken to a hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Chang broke an ankle, while Tsai sustained lacerations to her head.
Lai bowed and apologized while speaking to reporters at the legislature.
He said that testing at the scene showed that he was not driving under the influence, and promised to pay for the women’s medical expenses and cooperate in the police investigation.
“I did not see the two pedestrians,” he said. “I did not deliberately run into them and I am sorry for what happened.”
Insufficient street lighting and a blind spot due to the vehicle’s A-pillar contributed to the incident, the legislator said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) said that drivers should yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.
The ministry is undertaking work to improve lighting and safety measures at about 800 intersections nationwide that have been identified as dangerous, Li added.
Article 44 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) stipulates a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000 for not yielding to pedestrians on a crosswalk.
In a separate incident on Tuesday afternoon, a Japanese woman sustained multiple injuries, including cracked ribs, lacerations and bruises to her head and limbs, after she was hit by a van while using a crosswalk on a railway underpass in New Taipei City’s Yingge District (鶯歌).
Other pedestrians and scooter riders lifted the van to free the woman before an ambulance took her to a hospital.
She was identified as a Japanese tourist surnamed Igarashi.
Medical sources said that she was recovering after treatment and her injuries were not life-threatening.
The driver of the van was identified as a middle-aged Taiwanese woman.
She tested negative for alcohol.
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