A child died in Taichung after a road accident

• By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA

Two drivers are suspected of negligent homicide after an 11-year-old boy was hit while riding a bicycle on a zebra crossing in Beitun District (北屯) of Taichung yesterday afternoon, the Taichung Fifth Precinct said today.

Yesterday at 15:46, an accident involving a bicycle, a scooter and a car occurred at the intersection of Dunhua Street, Section 2 and Renping Road, the precinct said.

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An 11-year-old boy surnamed Huang (黃) was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk next to Dunhua Street, Section 2, and stopped briefly when he arrived at the intersection of Renping Road, before riding across the crosswalk to a park on the street on the other side, police said.

When he was crossing the road, he was first hit by 29-year-old Tan (湯), who was riding an electric scooter from the intersection, causing him to fall off the bike and land on the inside lane, although he stayed in the crosswalk. , they said.

He was then hit by Fu (傅), 32, driving an SUV that was also traveling through the intersection, police said.

The boy was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but died from multiple injuries he sustained in the crash, they said.

They added that neither Tang nor Fu were injured and breathalyzer tests came back negative.

The accident happened at the T-junction, which has tricolor traffic lights from 4am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm, with red and yellow lights at other times, the department said.

At the time of the accident, traffic on Sec 2 Dunhua Road had a flashing yellow light and traffic on Renping Road had a flashing red light, it said.

The police department said it plans to work with other departments to improve traffic safety measures in response to the crash.

Although the exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, Tang and Fu have been referred to the Taichung District Prosecutor’s Office for questioning on suspicion of negligent homicide, police said.