Witnesses describe 'terrifying' moment of car crash that killed 3 and injured 12

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Witnesses on Monday described the "terrifying" moment a speeding car plowed into pedestrians in New Taipei's Sanxia District that afternoon, killing three people and injuring 12 others -- most of them children and teenagers.

The devastating car crash occurred at around 4 p.m. when a car driven by a 78-year-old man surnamed Yu (余) slammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School, leaving three people dead and 12 others injured, including the driver of the vehicle, according to local police and fire officials.

Among the fatalities were two 12-year-old female students from nearby Sanxia Junior High School and a woman in her 40s, local authorities said.

Of those injured, seven were also students from the junior high school, one was a kindergarten child, and the remaining victims were adults, the authorities said.

A man surnamed Lin (林)told CNA he was returning to his shop when he heard a loud engine noise and saw the vehicle speeding forward.

"It hit three students, and the children landed about 20 to 30 meters from where they were struck," Lin said, adding that he narrowly avoided being hit himself.

"It was terrifying," he said.

A student from Sanxia Junior High School also recounted the moment: "I saw dust everywhere and broken helmet pieces flying in the air." "The car came speeding from behind--just one more step and it would've hit me," she told reporters.

Chen Chun-ying (陳椿瑩), chief of Sanxia's Longpu Borough, fought back tears as she spoke to reporters at the scene.

"The children are innocent... I saw a little girl lying down, her face pale, her eyes closing. Her mother and I kept calling her name, telling her not to close her eyes," she said. "Please cherish your children and other people's children too. Don't let this happen again."

The New Taipei Police Department said Yu was driving on Guocheng Street toward Fuxing Road when he ran a red light at the intersection with Guoguang Street.

Police said Yu sideswiped three scooters and a bicycle at the intersection before continuing straight along Lane 132 of Fuxing Road, where the vehicle finally came to a stop after crashing into a traffic island.

Yu held a valid driver's license and tested negative for alcohol, Sanxia police precinct chief Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said, but police could not gather any further information from him because he was in a coma due to injuries sustained in the crash.

The New Taipei Education Department initially reported 3 deaths and 13 injuries in the incident. However, updated figures from the New Taipei Fire Department revised the number of injured to 12.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the crash.