Boy, 7, run over by garbage truck in Taiwan after accidentally accelerating grandmother’s scooter
A seven-year-old boy in Taiwan was crushed to death after he accidentally accelerated his grandmother’s scooter while mounting it, causing the bike to lurch forward and throw him under the rear wheel of an oncoming garbage truck.
The accident occurred at about 5.12pm on May 27, in Fangyuan, a rural township in Changhua County, Taiwan.
Security footage shared by Taiwanese news outlet ETtoday shows the boy, surnamed Li (transliteration), climbing onto the scooter as his grandmother stands beside him.He appears to be wearing a pink bucket hat, and did not have a helmet on.
As he lifts his right leg to mount the scooter, it suddenly lurches forward with the boy on it.
Li’s grandmother, surnamed Chen (transliteration), attempts to give chase but falls forward. As the scooter topples, the seven-year-old is thrown onto the path of a slow-moving garbage truck a few metres away. The security footage ends right before the truck’s rear right wheel runs over Li.
The seven-year-old died on the spot, reportedly due to head injuries.
Police checks showed the driver of the garbage truck, who was part of the township’s cleaning team, tested negative for drugs and alcohol. It is believed the boy fell in the truck’s blind spot, and the driver did not stop as a result.
Though it is unclear how Madam Chen’s scooter was activated, a typical scooter’s speed is controlled by twisting the throttle on one handlebar.
Boy’s family given S$4,067 compensation
According to ETtoday, Lee’s family was given NT$100,000 (S$4,067) in insurance payouts.
A photo shared by Taiwanese television channel TVBS News showed a woman wearing a pink jacket, presumably Madam Chen, kneeling in front of a blue tent placed beside the garbage truck, with a scooter lying askew nearby.
The Fangyuan Township office expressed its condolences to Li’s family, saying they do not wish to comment on the incident publicly to avoid further distressing the boy’s relatives.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
