Drunk Taiwanese driver hits elderly woman, carries body on roof for 3 km

酒駕司機撞老婦人，車頂掛屍體3公里

After hitting elderly woman, drunk driver continues 3 kilometers with her still on the roof of his car in Hsinchu


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- After fatally hitting an elderly woman a drunk driver continued to drive with her body stuck on the roof of his car for another three kilometers before her corpse finally fell off early yesterday morning (May 23) in Hsinchu, reported CNA.

At 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, a 77-year-old woman surnamed Wu (吳) went out to do her morning exercises at the 64 kilometer mark of Provincial Highway 15. As she was crossing the road, she was suddenly struck by an NT$1 million imported Mini Cooper sedan.

The impact was so great that her head penetrated windshield and her body flipped over onto the roof with her head still lodged in the windscreen. The man was apparently so intoxicated that he was oblivious to the accident and continued to drive with her lifeless corpse still stuck to the roof of his car for a full three kilometers, and it was not until he made a left turn at the 61.5 kilometer mark that her body finally fell off the car.

Horrified by the accident, her husband called the police. An ambulance was rushed to the scene and Wu was immediately rushed to the hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate her.

After an investigation, Police found that the driver was a 32-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳). Upon being questioned by police, Chen denied he was responsible for the accident and it was not until officers repeatedly presented him with overwhelming evidence that he finally confessed to the drunk driving accident.


Mangled windshield visible (right) as Wu is taken away by police (left). (CNA image)

Police said that his blood alcohol content was 0.21 milligrams, well above the legal threshold of 0.15 mg/l. He said that he had attended a dinner party with his friends that lasted until 3 a.m., and said a friend first drove him to his company in Hukou Township where he picked up his car and started to drive himself home.

Chen claims that he was so nervous after he hit the elderly woman that he did not dare stop.

Grief stricken and angry, Wu's son called Chen "despicable." Such a massive impact, she even flew into the windshield, and Chen keeps going for another three kilometers, and then pretends that he does not know, "Are these the words of a man who has a conscience It's basically a deliberate murder," said Wu's son.

Wu's son then said, "I hope that that judge makes a reasonable decision," and added that Chen should not get off on bail easily, otherwise, it would cause further grief for our family.

After being questioned by police, he was transferred to the Hsinchu District Prosecutor's Office on charges of public endangerment, fleeing the scene of an accident, and negligent homicide.