A man died and a woman was seriously injured yesterday after they were crushed by a trackless tourist train that overturned at the Yilan Green Expo.
The 78-year-old man, surnamed Yu (游), showed no vital signs at the scene and was pronounced dead at the hospital, while his wife, surnamed Lu (呂), was still undergoing treatment for a broken arm as of press time last night.
The 45-year-old driver, surnamed Chen (陳), who has a truck driving license, said he was driving the empty electric train back to the park’s entrance for a battery recharge at about 1:30pm.
Photo: CNA
He said he rang the bell to warn pedestrians after he found that the brakes were malfunctioning.
The train overturned after he tried to avoid hitting the pedestrians and lost control because it was running too fast, he said.
The family of the victims said the train crashed into the couple directly without trying to stop.
They were unable to pull their parents away when the couple failed to dodge the train, they said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, Yilan County Agriculture Department head Lee Hsin-tai (李新泰) said.
The Yilan County Government said the park train service would be suspended for checks and maintenance until all concerns are addressed.
The Yilan Green Expo said the park would be closed today for safety inspections.
The expo began providing the paid park train service this year, with one red train and one blue train that can carry up to 40 passengers each.
A 10-minute round trip, which costs NT$50, begins at the environment education center at the entrance from 9am every day.
The trains were checked before opening and after closing every day since the expo began a week ago, Lee said.
No irregularities were found, and their maintenance complied with regulations, he said.
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