Eldest of 3 siblings struck by unlicensed driver regains consciousness

Taipei, March 13 (CNA) Doctors said Wednesday that the eldest of three siblings hit by an unlicensed driver while crossing a Changhua County intersection on Feb. 22 is now able to communicate by blinking.

The 10-year-old girl, surnamed Chen (陳), was observed opening and closing her eyes around 11 a.m. when her great-aunt and neurosurgery department director Cheng Chun-Yuan (鄭均洹) were checking on her, according to Show Chwan Memorial Hospital in Changhua.

Cheng immediately asked her to "blink twice if you can understand," to which she complied, the hospital said.

The 10-year-old's vital signs and nervous system functions continue to improve, the hospital said, adding that both her right and left chest tubes had been removed.

Meanwhile, Chen's 8-year-old sister remains in a coma but is showing signs of improvement, according to Changhua Christian Children's Hospital, where she is receiving care.

Both sisters have been hospitalized since being struck on a pedestrian crossing by a 73-year-old driver, surnamed Hsiao (蕭), who was driving without a license and had several priors, according to local police.

Police said the light for car traffic was green when the collision happened and that Hsiao, who passed a breathalyzer test at the scene, had not been speeding.

Police added they had not transferred the case to prosecutors because they were unsure whether to charge Hsiao with manslaughter or negligent injury.

While the two sisters sustained serious injuries, their younger brother only suffered abrasions on his left foot and was discharged on the day of the accident.

Following the collision, 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.