Although Taiwanese traditionally set off fireworks during the Lunar New Year and other occasions to ward off bad luck, one store has the unfortunate distinction of having been prosecuted and fined for following tradition.
According to the verdict, Lee Li-mei (李麗美), the owner of a small eatery in Bade City (八德), Taoyuan County, set off fireworks in front of her store at about 6pm on Feb. 8 to bring good luck when opening up for business after the Lunar New Year holiday period.
However, an 82-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) walked into the inner lane of the road to avoid the fireworks and was hit by a truck.
The truck driver, Hu Ko-jui (胡科瑞) said that his vision had been obscured by the smoke created by the firecrackers.
Hu turned himself in to the police after the accident.
Chang suffered a spinal fracture and a hemothorax, a complication caused by the accumulation of blood in his chest. He was rushed to a hospital, but died as a result of his injuries the next morning.
The court said that an out-of-court settlement reached between Hu and Lee with Chang’s family demonstrated sufficient regret over the accident and that the victim’s family had been duly compensated.
In light of those mitigating factors, Hu and Lee were sentenced to six and five months in prison respectively, with a two-year suspension of the sentences.
Lee said she had set off the fireworks because she was “down on her luck” and had never considered that they could be dangerous.
Deeply affected by the accident, Lee said being asked in court “Are you guilty?” and “Do you want to pay?” had exacerbated her sense of guilt.
After making a payment of NT$200,000 in three installments to Chang’s family and being given probation, Lee said she had finally made peace with what had happened.
Although she said she would still set off firecrackers when the occasion called for it, Lee added that in the future, she would first make sure there were no pedestrians or vehicles in the vicinity of her store.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
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