‘DETRIMENTAL TO SOCIETY’:Nantou firefighters were ordered to pay NT$2.67 million to the family of Chang Po-wei because they failed to find him before he died
Taipei Timmes
Date: May 29, 2015
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter
A Taipei court’s ruling on a lawsuit over a 2011 mountaineering death has sparked
Family members of Chang Po-wei, who died while climbing Baigu Mountain alone, hold a cardboard cut-out of Chang during a demonstration in Taipei on July 5, 2011. Photo provided by Chang’s family
controversy because the judge blamed inadequate efforts by firefighter rescue teams and awarded the victim’s family NT$2.67 million (US$86,685) in compensation.
It was a precedent-setting ruling, marking the first time official rescuers have been ordered to compensate a victim’s family.
The defendants, Nantou County Fire Department officials, said after Wednesday’s decision that they would appeal the ruling because it was wrong to fault rescuers, adding that the verdict was very detrimental to society.
Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱) yesterday vowed to appeal the ruling to protect the rights of firefighters who undertook the search-and-rescue mission. [FULL STORY]
