Bus company chairman resigns after surgeon run over and killed

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) The chairman of Shin-Shin Bus Co. resigned Sunday after one of the company's buses struck and killed a doctor at a crosswalk in Taipei the previous day.

At a press conference, Chairman Fan Ta-wei (范大維) apologized to the public, said the company will take full responsibility for the incident, and announced his resignation.

The 60-year-old victim, Chou Chia-cheng (周佳正), was the head of Taoyuan General Hospital's breast surgery department.

Chou, who had right of way, was struck while crossing Aiguo West Road by a bus making a legal left-hand turn from Roosevelt Road, and later died from his injuries in the hospital.

Fan said the 63-year-old driver, surnamed Lee (李), had nearly 20 years of experience with no major violations, though he had previously been disciplined for skipping bus stops. Lee retired in March but was rehired in May.

Fan said the crash likely resulted from Lee's failure to stop and perform a "point-and-call" safety check before turning -- a company protocol that requires drivers to come to a full stop and use hand gestures to visually confirm that all directions are clear of pedestrians or obstacles.

Police said Lee was not under the influence of alcohol, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Prosecutors released Lee on NT$50,000 (US$1,700) bail after questioning him on Saturday on suspicion of negligent homicide.

In response to the fatality, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said Sunday he has asked bus operators to propose improvement measures, while also instructed transportation officials to reassess the intersection's safety features.

Chiang said the focus will be placed in the area near Roosevelt Road and the northwest side of Aiguo West Road to assess the feasibility of moving the crosswalk farther from the junction to improve visibility and protection.

Transportation officials said they will also review pedestrian signal timings and plan to install countdown timers and pedestrian refuge islands at the 75-meter-wide intersection where the accident occurred.

Advocacy group Vision Zero Taiwan urged the city to require all buses to be equipped with blind-spot detection and automatic emergency braking systems, and called for revisions to traffic regulations to remove vague wording that may shift responsibility onto pedestrians.

Taoyuan General Hospital released a statement mourning Chou's death, describing him as a skilled and compassionate surgeon whose passing is an irreplaceable loss to the hospital.

Chou was highly skilled and had long been dedicated to breast cancer surgery, the hospital said. Beyond his clinical expertise, he also played key coordination roles within the surgical department and actively contributed to advancing the acute trauma medical team.