Man Sentenced to 7 Years for DUI Vehicular Manslaughter 高雄愛河岸酒駕釀1死3傷 一審宣判7年10月

A driver in Kaohsiung has been sentenced to seven years and 10 months after he killed a mother and severely injured her two daughters while driving under influence in 2021. The surviving father believed the punishment is too light.

At the end of last year, a drunk driver surnamed Huang hit a family of four that was waiting to cross the street. The wife was killed on the spot, while the husband and two daughters sustained severe injuries. Huang was indicted for homicide and offenses against public safety. Mr. Huang and his daughters are still undergoing physical therapy to this day. On July 1, the Kaohsiung District Court sentenced Huang to seven years and 10 months for drunk driving negligent homicide.

Mr. Lin, Victim's Family Member: “The court not did consider the charge -- voluntary manslaughter -- prosecutors indicted him on. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been sentenced to seven years and 10 months. Public power talks about zero tolerance for drunk driving, but it's just empty talk.”

Mr. Lin says Huang is getting off too lightly, especially when the former justice minister promised to pursue a harsh sentence. Lin also says Huang has shown no remorse at all and he will talk with his lawyer about appealing the ruling.

Mr. Lin, Victim's Family Member: “Let me be blunt. It's been almost half a year. Every week, I see stories about drunk driving cases on the news. It keeps happening. It never stops happening. Everyone is heartbroken. Many families remain heartbroken. Their families are shattered.”

Lin says he has not been able to return to work since the accident and his parents have to prepare the family's meals for them. His daughters are not doing well either. His younger daughter has to be carefully watched for cerebral hemorrhages, while his elder daughter suffered major dental damage. All three still require treatment and physical therapy. Lin says he cannot forgive Huang, and says the sentence does nothing to deter drivers from driving drunk.

去年底這場車禍，黃姓男子無照酒駕再犯，在高雄愛河附近，撞上林家人一家四口，媽媽當場死亡，林爸爸跟2個女兒重傷，到現在還在復健。黃男被高雄地檢署依殺人、公共危險等罪起訴，上午高雄地院針對刑事部分宣判，依酒駕致死罪判黃姓男子7年10個月有期徒刑。

受害家屬林爸爸質疑：「他沒有依照檢察官起訴的不確定故意殺人罪下去做判決，不然不會判到7年10個月，公權力講的酒駕零容忍，難道你讓它淪為口號嗎？」

這樣的結果，讓林爸爸認為刑期太輕，他說先前法務部長才喊話要求重判，結果卻是如此，他也認為黃姓男子完全沒有悔意，還打算脫產，將在收到判決書後，跟律師討論是否上訴。

林爸爸表示：「我講白的，事發到現在快半年，我每星期我在新聞上面都看到酒駕的案子，一直不斷的在重演，一直不斷的在發生，他們都很心痛，很多家庭還是一直這樣子，不斷的家破人亡。」

林爸爸說，車禍到現在，他還無法回去上班，三餐也需要父母打理，兩個女兒狀況也很不好，小女兒還得關注腦溢血後續有沒有嚴重後遺症，大女兒牙齒毀損嚴重，也還在持續治療，3人都在努力復健，也讓他無法諒解黃姓男子，更認為這判決，沒有任何有效遏止社會酒駕的警惕。