Fruit vendor hit by traffic cop’s car, killed

By Nguyet Trieu June 9, 2019 | 10:26 pm PT

A car of Binh Duong traffic police is damaged after it ran over a fruit vendor on a sidewalk, June 9, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Trieu.

A fruit vendor died in the southern Binh Duong Province Sunday when a car driven by a traffic police officer ran over him on a sidewalk.

Nguyen Thanh An, 23, was selling his fruits near an intersection in Dau Tieng District when the car hit him.

He was taken to hospital where he died.

The driver is Phan Hoai An, a second lieutenant in the Binh Duong Traffic Police Department, Trinh Ngoc Quyen, its director, said. "When there is enough evidence, it will be investigated as a criminal case."

The policeman, who works in a unit that investigates road crashes, was in plainclothes. He withdrew a Vietnamese banknote when angry people surrounded his car.

He has been suspended.

The unnamed police officer who drove the police car in the incident June 9, 2019. Video screenshot obtained by VnExpress

Phan Hoai An, a Binh Duong police officer, holds a banknote after he fatally drove his car over a fruit vendor on Sunday. Video screenshot obtained by VnExpress.

Road crashes are a leading cause of death in Vietnam, with one person dying almost every hour. More than 18,720 accidents occurred in 2018, killing 8,244 people and injuring nearly 14,800, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.