Prosecutors in Kaohsiung were yesterday to decide whether to charge a driver who struck and killed a woman at a crosswalk with his vehicle on Sunday while five times over the legal blood-alcohol limit.
The 38-year-old suspect, identified by his surname Huang (黃), was driving under the influence (DUI) when he struck a family of four at a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Hedong Road and Guomin Street in the city’s Cianjin District (前金) at about 7pm, police said.
A 37-year-old woman surnamed Fan (范) showed no vital signs at the scene and was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital.
Photo: CNA
Her 45-year-old husband and two daughters, aged 14 and 15, had serious injuries and are in intensive care.
Huang was arrested at the scene, and a breath alcohol test showed he had a blood-alcohol concentration of 1.24 milligrams per liter (mg/l), about five times the legal limit of 0.25mg/l.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver was drinking whiskey with friends at a coffee shop in Yancheng District (鹽埕) a few hours before the accident, prosecutors said.
A person riding with Huang at the time of the incident was questioned by police on Sunday evening and fined NT$3,000 for not preventing Huang from driving drunk.
Kaohsiung Police Department Commissioner Huang Ming-chao (黃昭明), said Huang had been charged with DUI in 2006 and 2009, although neither incident involved injuries.
Huang is being questioned by the Sinsing District (新興) police precinct, which is to hand the case over to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office to determine what charges to file against Huang.
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