Singaporean tourist hit, seriously injured by bus in Taichung crosswalk

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) A 67-year-old Singaporean woman was seriously injured after being struck by a bus and trapped under it while crossing a street in Taichung Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The Taichung Police Department's First Precinct said it received a report of a bus-pedestrian collision at the intersection of Ziyou Road and Minsheng Road in the city's West District at 11:11 a.m.

Police said a Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport bus driven by a 45-year-old man surnamed Gong (龔) struck the woman in a crosswalk while making a right turn onto Ziyou Road.

The woman became trapped under the bus' front right tire and was freed by police and paramedics, the department said.

She suffered a pelvic fracture and open fractures to her right upper arm and left lower limb and was in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), according to authorities.

Her vital signs were subsequently restored as she was taken to China Medical University Hospital, where she remains under treatment.

Local media reported that the woman was visiting Taiwan as a tourist and traveling with her family when the collision occurred. Gong tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

According to the Highway Bureau, Gong had been driving for five hours and four minutes at the time of the collision Wednesday. He had driven for only four hours and 46 minutes on Tuesday and had taken time off from Sept. 9-14, records showed.

The exact details of the accident -- including legal liability -- remain under investigation.

Taiwan's pedestrian safety problem

After a 2022 CNN article described Taiwan as a "living hell" for pedestrians, the government has taken steps to improve pedestrian safety, including introducing tougher penalties for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians and legislation aimed at improving pedestrian infrastructure.

Pedestrian safety remains a concern, however, with drivers frequently failing to yield and speeding on narrow streets.

Government data shows that pedestrian deaths in road accidents have declined slightly, from 394 in 2022 to 380 in 2023 and 366 in both 2024 and 2025.

There were 157 pedestrian deaths in the first six months of 2026, according to the data.