Saigon driver flees after car ploughs into bikes, kills one, injures four

By Son Hoa   November 13, 2018 | 05:36 pm PT
Saigon driver flees after car ploughs into bikes, kills one, injures four
The injured victims sit on the sidewalk after the fatal crash in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday night. Photo by VnExpress/Son Hoa
At least one person was killed and four others were seriously injured when a seven-seater car slammed into several motorbikes in Saigon Tuesday night.

Tran Van Hoang, 43, was driving the car on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in District 7 when he lost his control and crashed into a couple on a motorbike at the crossroads of Nguyen Thi Thap Street.

The car then hit at least three other motorbikes and a victim was swept on the underside of the car and dragged for over 30 meters, eyewitnesses said. Many motorbike drivers were knocked down.

The car then mounted the sidewalk and hit a street divider before plunging down a slope.

The car plunges into a dry canal after hitting a street divider on the sidewalk. Photo by VnExpress/Son Hoa

The car that hit many motorbikes, killing one person and injuring four others, stopped after plunging down this grassy slope Tuesday night. Photo by VnExpress/Son Hoa

One motorbike driver, Mai Tan Nha, 33, died on the spot, while four others suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized.

The car driver fled the scene following the accident, which is being investigated.

He was arrested on Wednesday morning. He said after hitting the first motorbike, he had tried to stop the car but stepped on the accelerator instead.

Last month, a woman driving a BMW car after drinking beer crashed into several motorbikes at an intersection in Saigon, killing one person and injuring many others.

Nguyen Thi Nga, 45, was arrested and could be charged with traffic offences that can carry sentences of three to 10 years in jail.

Road crashes are a common cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour on average, according to official figures.

Flouting road safety norms and causing deaths is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

 
 
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