Taipei: A Taipei city bus struck and killed a woman riding a bicycle across a crosswalk in Zhongzheng District Tuesday evening, police said. The incident occurred at the intersection of Chongqing South Road and Zhongxiao West Road, near Taipei Main Station.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taipei City Police Department received a call at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday about the accident. A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the No. 223 bus, surnamed Chao, was traveling southbound on Chongqing South Road when his bus struck a cyclist heading eastbound on Zhongxiao West Road at the intersection.
After initially yielding to pedestrians at the crosswalk, Chao accelerated and struck the female cyclist. Police are unclear as to why he failed to notice her. Reports indicate that the woman, who was around 70 years old, suffered serious injuries and was not breathing when first responders arrived.
The woman was transported to National Taiwan University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Police have ruled out drunk driving as a factor in the accident, though the cause remains under investigation.