Seven students were injured, one seriously, after members of their group, which was cycling around Taiwan, were struck by a car driving on the wrong side of the road in Changhua County yesterday.
The Changhua County Fire Bureau said it received a report at 10:43am yesterday that multiple cyclists had been injured by a car on Changshui Road in Changhua’s Pitou Township (埤頭).
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders found a small sedan on the wrong side of the road with its windshield partially imploded, while several bikes lay smashed and tangled on the road in front of it, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of a reader via CNA
Seven students from the group of cyclists were taken to hospital for injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones. One of the seven, a 15-year-old boy, sustained severe head injuries and was taken to Changhua Christian Hospital.
The boy was assessed to have a GCS score of 3, indicating that he was in a deep coma and completely unresponsive. He would undergo a CT scan before being transferred to the intensive care unit for treatment, the hospital said.
The driver also sustained head injuries in the crash, apparently from hitting the windshield, authorities said.
Based on a preliminary investigation, the driver who hit the students appears to have fallen asleep at the wheel and veered into oncoming traffic, the Changhua Police Department’s Beidou Precinct said.
The driver — who several Chinese-language news outlets identified as a 40-year-old man surnamed Hsiao (蕭) — did not have any alcohol in his system, police said.
A witness of the crash said the car had been driving on the wrong side of the road for about 100m, before crashing into the students head-on “like a bowling ball,” apparently without hitting the brakes, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported.
According to the police, the group of cyclists included 28 students from Kang Chiao International School in New Taipei City, as well as two teachers and a guide.
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