After getting drunk, a 50-year-old man surnamed Mo in Hualien County proceeded to ride home on his scooter. As he crossed the Mugua River Bridge in Shoufeng Township on his way north, it seems that he had an urgent need to urinate, so he climbed onto the bridge railing to relieve himself. As he did so, he lost his balance and fell down onto the riverbed 10 meters beneath the bridge. Luckily he was spotted by police officers who were on patrol in the southbound lane. The police officers called the fire brigade, who used a hoist to lift the man up onto the bridge and take him to hospital. The man suffered bone fractures in several places and was crying out in pain. It is a good thing that he was wearing a crash helmet, so his head escaped injury.
The police said that as the officers crossed the Mugua Bridge while out on patrol at close to 11pm on Monday last week, they saw the man, whose surname is Mo, standing on the bridge railing, but suddenly he disappeared. The police thought he must have fallen off the bridge, so they quickly called 119 to ask the fire brigade for assistance. Despite having such a nasty accident, Mo was not killed, but the fall left him with a bruised nose and swollen face. Unable to move, he waved frantically from beneath the bridge, shouting, “Hurry up and save me, I’m begging you.”
Since there was no road near the riverbed, the firefighters got hold of a crane, and at about 00.30am they succeeded in hoisting Mo back up, whereupon they found that he smelled strongly of alcohol and his left arm bone was broken in two places.
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王錦義
The police said it was a good thing that the silt and gravel in the riverbed was loose and soft, and that Mo was wearing a crash helmet that kept his head out of harm’s way. He was fully conscious, but his face and chin were all swollen. He could not speak clearly and kept sobbing and spitting blood. Noting that he was wearing a crash helmet, gloves and a warm jacket and was quite smartly dressed, the police thought it unlikely that he was trying to kill himself, but they smelled a strong smell of alcohol, so they surmised that he had been riding under the influence of drink. To begin with, they took him to hospital for treatment and a blood alcohol test. If the alcohol test showed him to be over the limit, he would still face penalties of a NT$60,000 fine and suspension of his driver’s license.
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王錦義
花蓮縣五十歲莫姓男子，喝得爛醉還騎車回家，北上行經壽豐鄉木瓜溪橋時，疑因尿急竟爬上橋的圍欄小解，不料重心不穩摔落十公尺橋底，還好被南下的巡邏警員發現，請來消防隊用電動吊臂把人吊掛上橋送醫，身上多處骨折讓他痛得唉唉叫，還好有戴安全帽頭部無恙。
警方說，上周一晚上近十一點巡邏行經木瓜溪橋，看到莫姓男子站在橋護欄上，突然間就不見人影，研判是摔到橋下，趕緊打一一九請消防隊支援。莫男大難不死摔得鼻青臉腫、動彈不得，在橋底使勁揮手狂喊：「快來救我，拜託啦！」
由於河床上沒有道路，消防人員找來吊車，約在十二點三十分順利把莫男吊掛上來，發現莫男渾身酒氣，左手骨折斷成三截。
警方說，還好河床土石鬆軟，加上莫男有戴安全帽頭部無恙，意識清楚，但臉部、下巴全腫起來，口齒不清還嗚嗚噎噎地不停吐血，警方見他安全帽、手套及禦寒外套穿戴整齊，研判自殺可能性低，但現場聞到濃濃酒氣研判應是酒醉騎車，先把他送往醫院救治以及抽血驗酒測值，若酒測值超過標準還將面臨六萬元罰單及吊扣駕照的懲罰。
(自由時報記者王錦義)
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