The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted a driver from ride-hailing platform Bolt on charges of abandonment resulting in death, with potential punishment of between seven years and life in prison.
Driver Lin Yu-jun (林宇浚) on Jan. 25 allegedly forced a passenger out of his vehicle on Provincial Highway 64 in New Taipei City, prosecutors said.
After exiting the vehicle, the passenger was struck and killed by passing vehicles, they said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The case is to be tried under the Citizen Judges Act (國民法官法), meaning six randomly selected citizens and three professional judges would jointly decide the sentence, they said.
The four drivers who hit the passenger are being investigated separately on suspicion of negligent homicide, prosecutors said.
The 25-year-old, surnamed Wen (?), was an alternative service conscript with the Railway Police Bureau and a graduate of National Chengchi University, they said.
He hailed a vehicle at 2:07am from Taipei’s Wenshan District (文山) to his home in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), they said.
When the vehicle entered the ramp from Provincial Highway 64 in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), Wen collapsed in the back seat, they added.
Lin then stopped the car on the side of the road at about 2:19am and told Wen to get out, prosecutors said.
Lin drove away when Wen collapsed on the road behind the vehicle, they said, adding that he was subsequently hit by four passing cars in the space of nine minutes.
He sustained a fractured skull and multiple bone fractures, resulting in his death, they said.
Local media reported that Wen had been drinking that night and repeatedly kicked the car door and seatback, although prosecutors said they could not comment on the allegations so as not to prejudice a citizen judge trial.
Prosecutors said they have not yet determined whether Lin forcibly dragged Wen from the car, but believe that he had a duty of care to ensure Wen’s safety.
Lin was initially released on bail of NT$50,000 on suspicion of negligent homicide, although he was later summoned twice more.
Prosecutors determined that he would also be tried on charges of abandonment resulting in death and requested that his bail be increased to NT$200,000.
Lin has been restricted from leaving the country or traveling by sea, prosecutors said.
He is also subject to electronic monitoring and must report remotely to the monitoring center, they added.
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