NT$210M:Netizens applauded the Taoyuan District Court decision, saying the judge ‘has guts’ to mete out ‘justice’ for the fatal 2012 incident

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 21, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

A truck driver and the transportation company he worked for must pay a record NT$210 million (US$6.76 million) in damages to the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) for their role in a fatal 2012 collision and express train derailment in the then-Taoyuan County, the Taoyuan District Court ruled yesterday.

The collision occurred on the morning of Jan. 17, 2012, when a gravel truck driven by Peng Jung-chuang (彭永莊) ignored warning lights and barriers coming down at a railway crossing near Pusin (埔心) Rail Station in the then-Yangmei City (楊梅) of Taoyuan County, colliding with a northbound Taroko Express No. 278 train, court documents and officials said.

The court found Peng and the company liable for the accident and ordered them to pay NT$210 million, the highest amount ever for such cases, for damages and repairs to the train, railway track and station facilities, along with medical expenses for those injured and ticket compensation for passengers affected by train delays on that day.     [FULL  STORY]