Flatbed trailer truck rear-ends 10 cars at stoplight in Yilan

Taipei, Feb. 22 (CNA) A flatbed trailer truck rear-ended 10 cars stopped at a red light in Yilan's Dongshan Township on Wednesday in an accident likely caused by the driver reaching down to pick up his phone, local authorities said.

The Yilan County Fire Bureau said it received a call at 5:46 p.m. about a crash at the intersection of Zhenzhu 1st Road and Yongmei Road resulting in multiple injuries, though none of the motorists were trapped in their cars.

After arriving at the scene, paramedics found that 16 people had suffered mainly light injuries in the accident, and took 10 of them to area hospitals, while the other six declined treatment.

Yilan police said none of the motorists had suffered life-threatening injuries, and that the driver of the flatbed trailer truck, surnamed Lin (林), had a blood alcohol content of zero.

Lin is believed to have reached down to pick up his phone in the moments before the accident, though the matter remains under investigation, police said.