A truck driver accused of spilling more than 100,000 metal screws onto a road in Changhua County, which resulted in the puncturing of tires of more than 100 vehicles and traffic delays, was yesterday taken into police custody for questioning.
Truck driver Lai Chien-chun (賴建均) said the accident was his fault and he knows he must bear responsibility for incident. He apologized for what happened.
However, many people affected by the accident said they were annoyed by his negligence and disregard for public safety.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
More than 100 vehicles were forced to stop and many had to repair damaged tires, with some people filing police reports and seeking compensation from the perpetrator.
Lai was driving a semi-trailer with open-top bins containing metal screws through rural townships toward Hemei Township (和美).
A police report said that Lai’s semi-trailer likely lost more than 100,000 screws, between 1cm and 3cm long, with most found along Changhua City’s Zhongyang Road, where the majority of punctured tires were reported to have occurred.
Lai stopped in Hemei to find two of the bins had toppled inside the semi-trailer, pouring screws out of his truck onto the road.
Police said more than 100 vehicles were affected by Lai’s negligence.
Officials estimated the total repair bills for the affected vehicles could come to NT$500,000.
Lai said his transport company has insurance and would pay for repairs.
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