New taipei: A pedestrian who was killed by a semi-trailer truck that lost control and crashed into an intersection in New Taipei's Taishan District has been identified as a 35-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker, local police said. The crash occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday, when a semi-truck traveling on Section 6 of New Taipei Boulevard in the direction of Taipei lost control as it approached the intersection with Taili Street.
According to Focus Taiwan, after striking a median strip in the left lane, the truck swerved to the right, hitting and killing a pedestrian at the intersection before crashing into a nearby construction site, injuring two security guards. In a statement, the New Taipei Police Department's Linkou Precinct said it had been unable to immediately confirm the pedestrian's identity due to damage from the crash and the fact that he was not carrying an ID card.
After recovering the man's phone, police contacted his service provider, which said the phone's SIM card was registered to a 35-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker surnamed Vu. Police contacted the man's wife, also a Vietnamese migrant worker living in Shulin District, who was able to confirm his identity from his belongings and surveillance video footage from the site of the accident.
Police sources said Vu's identity was further confirmed using fingerprint records from the National Immigration Agency. He is believed to have been on his way to work when the crash occurred. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old driver of the semi-truck, surnamed Kuo, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of negligent homicide. Kuo, who tested negative for alcohol and drugs, claimed his truck had skidded out of control amid rainy weather. He was released on NT$50,000 (US$1,564) bail.