First crash occurs on Danjiang Bridge on day it opens

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) The first reported traffic accident on the newly opened Danjiang Bridge occurred Tuesday, the day the bridge officially opened to traffic, when a motorcycle and a car were involved in a minor collision.

In a statement, the New Taipei City Police Department's Luzhou Precinct said a 42-year-old motorcyclist surnamed Kao (高) was riding his yellow-plate heavy motorcycle across the bridge toward Bali District when he ran into the rear of a car driven by a 25-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) at around 8 p.m.

Kao suffered minor bruises and had his wounds treated at the scene before leaving and seeking medical treatment on his own, police said. Traffic resumed shortly after the accident occurred.

Both drivers tested negative for alcohol, and the case remains under investigation, police said.

Though the bridge has a designated lane for regular motorbikes, Kao was driving a "yellow-plate heavy motorcycle," which falls in the 250cc to 550cc motorcycle category that is permitted on the car lanes of the bridge.