TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Friday (Dec. 30), the Taiwan High Court ruled that the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) should pay NT$4.68 million ($152,000) in compensation to the family of a Japanese cyclist who was killed by falling rocks in Hualien County five years ago.

Shirai Hiroyuki (白井寬之), 35, from Shizuoka, was preparing for a race when he was cycling near the popular Taroko Gorge in September 2017. Rocks hit him as well as two people on a motorcycle as they exited a tunnel.

While the others were only slightly injured, Shirai was hit in the head and died four days later at a local hospital. His parents argued the DGH had not taken adequate measures to prevent rockfalls, and sued for NT$8.01 million (UD$261,000) in compensation and funeral expenses, the Liberty Times reported.

The Yilan District Court rejected their case, but the Taiwan High Court agreed with their claim that the Ministry of Transportation agency had not done its job, and awarded them NT$4.68 million on Friday. The accident happened at the exit from a tunnel, where there were traces of numerous previous rockfalls, yet the DGH had not taken adequate preventive measures to protect the safety of passersby, the court said.

The judges awarded NT$2 million to each of Shirai’s parents, with the rest of the compensation based on hospital expenses amounting to NT$285,000, and NT$10,000 for the cost of their son's cremation in Taiwan, and the cost of transportation to Japan. Appeals against Friday’s verdict are still possible.