TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A motorcyclist was killed on Monday (Nov. 21) when his motorbike suddenly collided at a high rate of speed with a taxi without its lights on along Expressway 64 in New Taipei City.
At around 10:57 p.m. on Monday, a 27-year-old man surnamed Chi (紀) was riding an Aprilia RS 660 motorcycle with a red license plate and a sales price of over NT$500,000, reported NowNews. When he was passing through the Zhonghe section of Expressway 64 in New Taipei City's Zhonghe District, he came upon a diversified taxi (多元計程車) while speeding in the left lane.
(Line group 社會事新聞影音 photo)
However, the taxi did not have its lights on and Chi did not appear to see it as he did not decelerate as his motorcycle struck the back of the vehicle at the 25.7-kilometer mark. Chi was immediately sent flying and suffered life-threatening injuries as he landed on the freeway.
His motorcycle rolled several times on the expressway, while the backend of the taxi was heavily damaged. Paramedics who arrived on the scene found that Chi had lost all vital signs and rushed him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
(Line group 社會事新聞影音 photo)
The driver of the taxi was a 37-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) and his 46-year-old passenger surnamed Liu (劉) suffered multiple abrasions and contusions. All three were taken to Shuang-Ho Hospital, where doctors were unable to resuscitate Chi and later pronounced him dead.
The accident also caused the entire section of Zhonghe Road to be closed, causing gridlock for nearly two kilometers. After reviewing footage taken from surveillance cameras along the road, police found that the taxi was driving with its headlights off.
Damage to Chi's motorcycle. (New Taipei City Police Department photo)
Police stated that Chen would face a fine of between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000 for violating Article 33 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) for "not using lights in accordance with regulations," reported UDN.
The cause of the accident and culpability are still under investigation.
Damage to taxi. (New Taipei City Police Department photo)
When questioned by the media the next day, the father of the deceased acknowledged to the media that his son had been speeding, but if the taxi's headlights had been turned on, the tail lights would be on, "and my son could see them, but he didn't turn on the headlights at all, my son couldn't see it at all, and the car was painted black." The driver of the taxi issued the following statement through a friend:
"Hello members of the media, I am the owner of the car that was hit last night. I was driving on the 64 Expressway at a normal speed yesterday. There was a passenger in the car at the time and I was suddenly hit hard. Up to now, I still have lingering fears. The police are currently investigating the cause of the accident, and I will cooperate with relevant procedures to clarify the responsibility. In addition to expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, I also hope that everyone in the media will respect personal privacy, because I am not and do not want to be a public figure, and I do not want my relatives and friends around me to be disturbed. Thank you very much."
