The Tainan District Court has acquitted a woman on criminal charges of drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident in Tainan on Dec. 22 last year, although it found her guilty of public safety offenses.
Prosecutors said that they plan to appeal the decision.
The accused is a woman who allegedly drank wine at home in the afternoon before driving to pick up her child in the evening.
Video footage, corroborated by witnesses, showed a car hitting a scooter, knocking a mother and her daughter to the ground. The daughter fractured a clavicle and sustained scratches, while the mother sustained minor injuries.
The car was seen driving for several blocks before hitting another car, in which no serious injuries were reported.
When police officers arrived, they found the driver of the suspect vehicle speaking incoherently.
The woman said that she only had a vague memory of driving the car that day, did not have a clear recollection of what happened, and only remembered stopping at a red traffic light.
She said that she saw police officers with her when she regained consciousness.
The officers did not administer a breath alcohol test, but did take a blood sample, which showed an alcohol concentration of 1.55mg per liter, more than 10 times the legal limit of 0.15mg per liter.
The accused’s lawyer Mai Yu-wei (麥玉煒) said that his client was incapacitated and was not in control of her actions, and thus could not have deliberately attempted to flee the scene of an accident.
Mai presented video footage in court showing that the accused’s brake lights did turn on, indicating that she was not aware enough to press the brake pedal, which would be an automatic reflex for a conscious driver upon hitting an object.
Mai called in an expert from a local university hospital, who said the test result converted to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.311mg would put a person into a semi-conscious or unconscious state, and cause a loss of bodily functions.
“In such a state, a person has reduced awareness and greatly diminished capacity for reaction... Therefore it is entirely possible for the driver to be unaware that her car had hit the scooter and the other car,” he said.
He also said that a person could develop “tunnel vision” under the influence of alcohol, which could have led to the crash, and also said that a drunk driver might not be technically awake due to the effects of the alcohol.
The court ruled that the driver was not in control of her actions and had no intention to flee the scene. The court also considered that the accused was reportedly attempting to settle claims with the victims privately. The accused was found not guilty of committing a criminal offense.
However, the court found her guilty of offenses against public safety and handed her a four-month sentence, which could be commuted to a fine.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS