Unlicensed ambulance driver kills scooter rider in Taipei

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) An unlicensed ambulance driver ran a red light on Tuesday and crashed into a scooter in Taipei while transporting a patient to a hospital, killing the scooter rider, according to the police.

The scooter rider was traveling straight along Fujin Street in Taipei's Songshan District when he was run over by a private ambulance coming from Sanmin Road, according to television reports.

Upon arrival, rescue personnel found the scooter rider trapped beneath the ambulance and with no heartbeat, said the police, who received the report of the accident at approximately 2:30 p.m.

The 60-year-old man, surnamed Huang (黃), was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:13 p.m. after efforts to resuscitate him failed.

According to police, the ambulance driver, a 23-year-old man surnamed Lu (盧), did not have a valid driver's license, but was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

Lu was not injured. The patient in the ambulance, surnamed Lee (李), sustained minor injuries, including abrasions on both hands.