Two of the five patients in intensive care following Monday's fatal car crash in New Taipei City's Sansia District (三峽) have regained consciousness, city officials and hospital representatives said yesterday.
New Taipei City Department of Health Director-General Chen Jun-chiu (陳潤秋) told the city council that nine people remain hospitalized following the crash, which left 12 injured and three dead.
Photo: Taipei Times
A 78-year-old driver surnamed Yu (余) caused the crash by plowing into a group of pedestrians near Bei Da Elementary School, local police said.
It is unclear what his health condition was at the time.
The two patients who regained consciousness are junior high-school students being treated at New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital.
Another patient at the hospital remained in intensive care, while one more was recovering from a fracture, the hospital said.
At Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, two of the three admitted patients are still in intensive care, including a student and the driver.
En Chu Kong Hospital said both of its admitted patients are now in stable condition.
One is being treated for dizziness, and the other for a shattered femur.
The driver may have been fleeing from a minor collision with another car, police said yesterday.
Sansia Precinct chief Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said that based on surveillance footage, Yu reversed into a vehicle behind him at red lights on Guoqing Road and Xuecheng Road before speeding through a crowded pedestrian crossing near the school.
It is still unclear whether the earlier collision constitutes a hit-and-run, the police said, as Yu is currently in a coma and cannot be questioned.
A parent surnamed Ting (丁) told reporters that students from the school witnessed the sedan getting stuck on the traffic divider and reversing twice into another vehicle.
The car then sped off toward Guocheng Street, heading in the direction of the school access lane.
Following the crash, reports emerged that Yu had previously been involved in a traffic incident with a pedestrian pushing a baby stroller on the sidewalk of Guoqing Road in Sansia in March 2020.
In response to media inquiries, police confirmed that the driver involved in the incident five years ago was Yu.
Police said the 2020 incident was a case of negligence resulting in injury, but the two parties later reached a settlement, and the prosecutor in charge of the case decided not to press charges.
A preliminary tally found that Yu has had seven traffic violations within the past five years, mostly for parking infractions such as stopping in red zones and double parking.
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