The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said it would not file charges against the owners of Iris Travel Service Co over a bus crash that killed 33 people and injured 11 in February.
The office said in a statement that it would not prosecute Chou Pi-tsang (周比蒼) and his son, Chou Chi-hung (周繼弘), nor six company employees, saying there was insufficient evidence to indicate they were complicit in the fatal accident.
The office’s decision upheld the conclusion of a probe by the Taipei Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office released on Sept. 4, with investigators saying speeding was the main cause of the accident, in which bus driver Kang Yu-hsun (康育薰) died.
“The investigation has found that the driver had been working for an excessive number of hours and for many days without rest. These might have led to fatigue and loss of concentration, causing him to fail to reduce speed when entering the curve at the highway exit ramp,” the statement said.
“These could be among the probable causes of the accident, but they might not be the only and definitive causes,” it said.
“As there was insufficient evidence to link the direct cause and liability to the owners and company staff, we will not file charges against them,” it said.
Investigators have found that Kang had worked for 12 consecutive days prior to the accident, which constituted an occupational hazard and likely led to the accident, according to the Taipei Department of Labor in March.
The bus was carrying 42 passengers, along with a tour guide, and was returning to Taipei from a day trip to Wuling Farm (武陵農場) in the mountains in central Taiwan.
In the aftermath of the accident, the families of the victims said Iris should bear responsibility for its restrictive rules and compelling its drivers to work overtime, adding that the excessive work hours resulted in Kang’s physical and mental fatigue, which led to the accident.
A group representing the families of victims in September appealed the initial decision, which brought the case to the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office for review.
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