Man sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for fatal DUI hit-and-run

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) The Changhua District Court on Wednesday sentenced a man to nine years and six months in prison for a drunk driving hit-and-run that killed a man and injured his wife.

The 45-year-old driver, surnamed Huang (黃), was sentenced to seven years and two months for causing a death while driving under the influence, and an additional four years and eight months for fleeing the scene of a traffic accident.

The court set a combined sentence of nine years and six months, according to a news release issued Thursday.

The verdict can be appealed.

Huang began driving in Changhua's Hemei Township at 7:37 p.m. on March 16, 2024, after drinking at a friend's home. One minute later, he struck a married couple walking along the right side of the road, sending the husband flying into a gutter and causing the wife to fall in as well, according to the court statement.

Huang stopped at the scene for six seconds without getting out of his vehicle, then fled. The victims were later discovered by passers-by and taken to a hospital.

Huang was subsequently stopped by police and agreed to take a breath test at 10:44 p.m., which showed a breath alcohol concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter -- well above the legal limit of 0.15 mg/L, the court said.

The husband was pronounced dead after 21 days of treatment due to head trauma and complications from acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The court found that the defendant was not only driving under the influence, but also speeding at night and failing to keep a proper lookout, and therefore held him fully responsible for the crash.

Furthermore, after hitting the couple, he fled the scene in an attempt to evade responsibility, showing no regard for the victims. His actions caused a critical delay in rescue efforts, the court said.

The court noted that Huang initially tried to shift blame to his wife by claiming she had been driving. He later withdrew his guilty plea for fleeing the scene, saying he had not intended for anyone to die -- actions the court said showed a lack of genuine remorse.

However, the court also took into account that he had two underage children and no prior criminal or traffic violations.