ROAD SAFETY/3 children hit by car in Changhua, 2 still in danger

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Three siblings of elementary school age were injured, two of them seriously, when hit by a car as they crossed a street in Changhua County on Thursday evening, according to the county's Hemei Precinct.

The precinct's 5th division chief Lin Shih-shing (林世行) told CNA on Friday that the two sisters and one brother were hit by a car driven by a 73-year-old man surnamed Hsiao (蕭) at 6:21 p.m. when crossing an intersection in the county's Shengang Township.

The heartbeats of the two sisters, who are in the third and fourth grades, stopped following the accident, but were later restored by rescue personnel.

According to Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, the older sister appears to have suffered serious brain damage. She was completely unresponsive, indicated by her score of 3 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, and was getting supportive care in the pediatric intensive care unit.

The hospital said it had informed the girl's parents and the school's principal that the girl's condition was poor.

The other sister, being cared for at Changhua Christian Hospital, had low blood pressure and remained intubated in the facility's pediatric intensive care unit because her condition was unstable.

Only the younger brother escaped serious injury, according to police. He had abrasions on his left foot, and was discharged later Thursday night.

As for the driver, Hsiao was operating the vehicle without a license, Lin said, but his breathalyzer test was negative, and police were still trying to establish how fast he was going at the time of the accident and whether the children followed traffic signs and signals.

In response to the case, the Changhua County government said County Magistrate Wang Huei-mei (王惠美) went to the hospital after hearing about the children and gave the parents NT$20,000 (US$633) to help them get through their ordeal.

Wang also directed the county's Department of Social Affairs and Department of Education to provide any necessary assistance in getting care because the children were from a low-income household.