SINGAPORE – A 67-year-old Singaporean woman was run over by a bus on a family trip in Taiwan on the morning of Sept 16, according to local media reports.
The woman was crossing the road in the central city of Taichung at around 11am when a bus making a right turn knocked her down and ran over her, trapping her under the vehicle.
Emergency responders freed her using a lifting air bag and spinal board, according to multiple local media outlets, including Central News Agency and LTN.
The woman was in a state of cardiac arrest after she was rescued, with open fractures to her upper right arm and lower left leg, as well as a fracture to her hip, local media reported.
According to Central News Agency, she was taken to hospital, where her heartbeat was restored after resuscitation.
When contacted by The Straits Times, the Fire Bureau of Taichung Fire City Government confirmed that media reports on the rescue and the woman’s condition are correct.
LTN reported that the woman is in Taiwan with her family of nine people, including her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.
Central News Agency and local media SETN, citing the police, reported that the 45-year-old bus driver was not driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The police also told the media outlets that they have contacted Singapore’s representative office in Taipei, and that the cause of the accident will be determined by forensic units.
At the time of the accident, it appears that the rest of the family had crossed the road first, and the victim was jogging to catch up to them when the bus ran her over, LTN reported, citing the driver.
The driver told reporters at the scene that he saw a group of people crossing the road, and moved off slowly only after ensuring there were no pedestrians on the zebra crossing, according to media reports.
However, people around started screaming when the front of the bus went over the zebra crossing, and he immediately stopped after realising he had hit someone, the driver told the media.
He added that he had done all the necessary checks before turning at the junction, and that he did not hit the woman on purpose, said media reports.
A passer-by who witnessed the accident told Formosa TV that the bus was driving very slowly.
The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei for more information.