Three injured in four-bus collision in Taipei

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) An accident in Taipei involving four buses on Friday caused minor injuries to three passengers, according to the Taipei City Fire Department.

The department said that it received a report at around 1 p.m. on Friday that a traffic accident had occurred in the southbound bus lane on Dunhua North Road near Bade road in Taipei.

According to Liang Yun-ling (梁筠翎), an official at the Taipei City Public Transportation Office, an initial assessment indicates that one of the bus drivers failed to pay attention while pulling into a bus stop on Dunhua North Road.

As a result, he drove into a stationary bus in front of him, which then ran into another bus, which rear-ended a fourth bus, Liang said.

The three passengers who sustained minor abrasions were all on the bus which initiated the collision, the Taipei City Fire Department said, adding that the victims were a 53-year-old woman who injured her knees, a 40-year-old man who sustained a mouth injury and a 25-year-old who injured a calf muscle.

The office has ordered the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which operates the first bus, to assist the victims with their medical needs and bills, Liang said.

If the company is found to have violated Article 77 of Taiwan's Highway Act, it will be fined NT$9,000 (US$285) to NT$90,000, Liang added.

According to the police, none of the bus drivers tested positive for alcohol.

The collision likely resulted from the brakes of the first bus failing, police added.