[Sportschosun, Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A court in Taiwan has sentenced a driver to two years and 10 months in prison after a 9-year-old boy taking part in a charity marathon was struck and killed by a car driven by an unlicensed driver. The court said the driver’s negligence was severe, but also found that the event organizer bore some responsibility for traffic control.
According to Taiwanese media outlets including ETtoday, a vehicle driven by Yang entered the course and hit participants during the "Charity Marathon to Help Polio Patients" held in Changhua County on November 24, 2023. In the accident, a 9-year-old boy identified as Chen was struck and pinned under the vehicle.
Chen was rushed to a hospital, but he later died. He was reportedly running in the marathon with his father that day.
After the accident, the bereaved family filed a civil lawsuit against the driver seeking a total of 13.88 million New Taiwan dollars, or about 670 million won, including medical expenses, funeral costs, and compensation for emotional distress, along with a criminal complaint.
During the trial, it was confirmed that Yang had previously been caught driving under the influence twice, and his driver’s license had been revoked.
Investigators also found, through the vehicle’s black box and other evidence, that he had been driving while talking to someone on a cellphone connected to speakerphone at the time of the crash.
The court said this caused him to neglect his duty to keep watch ahead and fail to spot the child on the closed marathon course in time, leading to the accident.
The mother of the victim told the court, "It has been two years since the accident, but I still cannot sleep properly every night."
The court also found that the event organizer was partly responsible for the accident.
Although the event had received proper approval, the organizer failed to place guide signs at major intersections or deploy enough staff during traffic control. As a result, the driver got lost on the road and re-entered the race course.
However, the court said Yang’s negligence was far more serious because he was driving without a license and failed to exercise proper care while talking on the phone.
The panel therefore applied a negligent homicide charge and sentenced Yang to two years and 10 months in prison.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
