Bus Driver Involved in Fatal Accident Charged 乘客提包遭公車車門夾住拖行 不治身亡

Last January, a woman whose purse got caught in bus doors was dragged to death. Police have charged the driver with negligent death.

As soon as the last alighting passenger's foot makes contact with the pavement, the bus doors close. However, her purse gets caught between the doors and she gets dragged as the bus drives away. Prosecutors have charged the bus driver with negligent death.

Nieh Chung, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, New Taipei City Prosecutors Office: “(The driver) didn't notice what was happening. He closed the door and pulled away from the curb. This was negligence. Based on the evidence we have, we have charged him with negligent death under Article 276 of the Criminal Code.”

The accident took place last January. The woman, surnamed Lin, took Bus 815 from Luzhou to St. Ignatius High School Station. Lin sustained severe injuries from being dragged and died two months later.

Citizen: “(The bus driver) may not have looked carefully enough, or he may have been rushing to get off shift. I've seen seniors just escaping getting caught in the doors.”

Citizen: “As soon as people get off the bus, the bus drives away. As soon as you step off the step, they drive away immediately.”

Although some buses have door-edge protection, this kind of accident occurs frequently in Taiwan and many are fatal. The bus company has not responded to media inquiries as of press time.

 

公車停靠站牌，民眾陸續下車，只見乘客剛踩下路面，車門立刻關上，不過，卻有一名乘客，是在下車時，因爲隨身提包被車門夾住，遭到公車拖行，最終不治身亡。檢方依涉犯過失致死罪嫌，起訴肇事的公車駕駛。

新北地檢署襄閱主任檢察官聶眾表示：「在當時的情況下，也沒有不能注意的情況，既然就是疏於注意，貿然的關閉車門而且行駛，檢察官綜合所有事證之後，認為被告涉嫌刑法276條過失致死，罪證明確，因而提起公訴。」

事發在去年1月底，林姓乘客搭乘中興巴士815路公車，在新北市蘆洲，捷運徐匯中學站下車，駕駛沒注意後車門，夾住對方提包，還繼續往前開，乘客被一路拖行受重傷，送醫搶救2個多月，還是回天乏術。

民眾：「可能是有時候是沒看清楚，然後有時候是可能要趕交班嗎，是有看過真的有老人家會，真的差一點被門夾到。」

另名民眾則說：「一下車然後車子就馬上開走，才踏一個階，他就馬上關門了。」

雖然，部份公車的車門有防夾裝置，不過乘客下車被車門夾傷，甚至死亡的意外，仍不時發生。而截稿前，尚未聯繫上公車業者。