Prosecutors on Friday released a worker on NT$30,000 bail after questioning over his installation of an air-conditioning (AC) unit that fell from a window, killing a woman on the street below.
The woman surnamed Huang (黃), 21, was waiting at a bus stop near Exit 2 of the Xinpu MRT station in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) on Thursday afternoon, when the 30kg AC unit fell from the 17th floor.
Bystanders administered CPR as Huang’s sister called 119. She was declared dead about an hour later at a hospital.
Photo: Wu Chien-chieh, Taipei Times
Police found that a worker surnamed Lee (李), 31, had been installing the AC unit in a 17th-story apartment.
Lee allegedly told police that he usually installs split-type ACs and was not very familiar with window units, even calling a colleague before starting to ask how to install it.
Police on Friday sent Lee to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning on suspicion of negligent manslaughter, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to NT$500,000.
The office listed bail at NT$30,000 and restricted his movement to his residence.
Safety regulations mandate that any objects that could fall from a height be secured, the New Taipei City Labor Affairs Department said.
The department’s Labor Standards Inspection Office was on Friday to conduct an investigation, and if violations are confirmed, would impose the highest possible fine of NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), it added.
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