TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — While crossing a street on a section of road not allowed for pedestrian crossings in Taipei on Tuesday night (Nov. 1), a Singaporean man was fatally struck by a Porsche SUV driven by a man under the influence of alcohol.
At around 9 p.m., a 52-year-old man surnamed Hsiang (向) was driving a white Porsche Cayenne after a night of drinking when a male United Airlines flight attendant suddenly stepped onto Section 2 of Dunhua South Road in Daan District, reported SET News. The pedestrian was struck by the Porsche with such force that the hood was deeply indented.
After being knocked to the ground, the victim quickly lost all vital signs. Paramedics rushed the man to a Cathay General Hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate him, and he was declared dead at 10 p.m.
The man was estimated to be in his 30s or 40s and worked as a flight attendant for United Airlines. He had just arrived in Taiwan earlier that day and had been venturing out as he was on leave.
(Taipei City Police Department photo)
According to police, the man was attempting to cross the street from a median where pedestrian crossings are not allowed. Hsiang, whose business ventures include a high-end fitness center and a luxury spa in Taipei, has a record of two previous drunk driving offenses, according to ETtoday.
Hsiang told police that he had consumed "a few glasses of red wine" while having dinner with friends that night, reported Mirror Media. However, after the meal, Hsiang claims that he believed he was sober, and he began to drive back to his home in New Taipei City's Xindian District.
He claimed that he was not driving very fast and denied that alcohol had hindered his reactions. Instead, he blamed the accident on rainy and dark conditions and said that the man suddenly darted in front of his car.
(Taipei City Police Department photo)
After police administered a breathalyzer test on Hsiang, they found that his blood alcohol level was 0.58 mg/l, which exceeded the legal limit of 0.15 mg/l. Prosecutors are now investigating Hsiang for offenses against public safety (公共危險罪) and negligent homicide (過失致死罪).
In addition, as there was a "No Pedestrian Crossing" sign on the Dunhua South Road median, the man was violating traffic laws by crossing the street from that area. The exact cause of the accident and the culpability of the parties involved are currently under investigation.
Police are currently asking the director of the United Airlines branch in Taiwan to contact the flight attendant's family members in Singapore and assist in returning his remains to his home country, reported NOWNews.
Hsiang. (Facebook photo)
Hsiang had two prior DUI convictions in 2014 and 2018 for having blood alcohol levels of 0.71 mg/l and 0.38 mg/l, respectively. According to a Taipei District Court judgment, Hsiang had been drinking in New Taipei City's Sanchong District in December 2014 when he drove a small passenger car and collided with a tour bus, reported SET News.
On Nov. 21, 2018, after drinking at a restaurant on Jilin Road in Taipei City, he was stopped by police at the intersection of Keelung Road and Changxing Street and was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
