A man who killed one person and injured three others from the same family while driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol last month in Kaohsiung has been officially charged with homicide.
The 38-year-old man, Huang Tzu-yang (黃子洋), was aware that he was unable to operate a vehicle safely and might get into a crash that could result in death or injury, but still drove his vehicle at about 7pm on Dec. 26 after drinking some alcohol, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement yesterday.
Because Huang should have known not to drive drunk and his drunk driving resulted in someone’s death, he was indicted for indirectly intended criminal homicide, it said, adding that prosecutors recommended giving Huang a harsh penalty.
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
Driving without a license, Huang hit the family of four with his BMW sedan as they were on a pedestrian crossing in the city’s Cianjin District (前金).
Huang was arrested at the scene by police, and a test showed that his blood alcohol level was 1.24 milligrams per liter (mg/l), about five times the legal limit of 0.25mg/l.
On Dec. 28, the Kaohsiung District Court ruled that Huang be detained for driving under the influence resulting in death and offenses against public safety.
Huang is a repeat offender, with a DUI in 2006 and another in 2009, although neither injured anyone, police said.
On the evening of last month’s incident, Huang had a few drinks, including whiskey, at a cafe, before heading to an eatery for dinner with friends.
However, on the way, he struck the family of four at the intersection of Hedong Road and Guomin Street in Cianjin, police said.
The mother, 37, surnamed Fan (范), showed no vital signs at the scene and was declared dead upon arriving at a hospital, while her husband, 45, and two daughters, aged 15 and 13, are still in intensive care.
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