A 50-year-old hiker yesterday gave Taipei City's new transportation director a piece of his mind -- which suffered a concussion after the nature lover plunged 30m into a ravine while hiking in June.
Lin Hsin-chin (林新金) was nearly killed while walking along the Yuanshan hiking trail in Shihlin two months ago. Lin fell into the ravine after leaning on a fence that gave way, suffering a concussion and a fractured thigh in the fall.
He was hospitalized for one month.
Chen Wu-cheng (
Supporting himself with the aid of two walking sticks yesterday, Lin said he was irked because transportation officials had earlier implied that he had attempted to commit suicide.
"It's ridiculous. I'm not a suicidal person, nor would I take my own life for the sake of insurance money," Lin said. "I had planned to visit China in July, but now everything is ruined," he said, waving visa documents recently approved by the Chinese government.
Chen said the transportation bureau had inspected fences along the hiking trail six months before the June accident.
"I'm very sorry for the way the bureau and the contractor have handled the matter," Chen said. "We'll conduct an overall review on the fences under the bureau's supervision. We'll also study the feasibility of paying Mr Lin compensation."
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