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Head-on collision in Fukuoka Pref leaves two women dead

11 Comments

Two women were killed and three other people injured after a head-on collision between two cars in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Sunday.

According to police, the accident occurred at around 5 p.m. at the Yagiyama bypass on National Route 201. TBS reported that four women were in one car and a 75-year-old man was driving the other car.

Police said Keiko Wada, 66, and Akiko Shimomura, 74, who had been sitting in the back seat of one of the cars, were both killed in the accident. The 66-year-old driver of the same vehicle sustained broken ribs and other serious injuries, while the woman sitting in the passenger seat was transported to the hospital as well, but her injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

The man driving the other car was also taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Police quoted the man as saying that he lost concentration for a second and crossed over the dividing line.

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11 Comments
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I researched that road on Google Earth when I bought my car in Minami Fukuoka and had to drive it back to Kitakyushu. I thought it too busy, fast and narrow and took road 92 instead which crossed it at a point and went over the ranges. I then linked to 21 to Nogata and was nearly home. Lovely drive.

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Is this the road going from Fukuoka to Saga?

It goes to Iizuka, the other direction. The Mitsuse pass to Saga is also mountainous and fairly narrow, but for whatever reason people don't drive nearly as fast. Maybe because the road winds too much. The Yakiyama road to Iizuka gives people just enough room to speed up before hitting some curves. People think they are doing fine and then suddenly realize they're not.

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Wow, very sad news just before the holidays. Back seaters often are more at risk of serious injury or death than front seaters. Terrible. Rest in Peace ladies.

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Is this the road going from Fukuoka to Saga? I always have to tell family members to wear belts in the backseat, and they always say there's no law requiring it and that they hold onto something -_-

You can take it to Saga, but it's the longer route, there is a short cut, but your family members should wear seat belts, I don't know why they wouldn't. Driving through that area would be me to strap myself in, in a millisecond! There is a huge crackdown and random sneaky checkpoints to find and catch people NOT wearing their seat-belts.

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Is this the road going from Fukuoka to Saga? I always have to tell family members to wear belts in the backseat, and they always say there's no law requiring it and that they hold onto something -_-

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There are several similiar scary roads in the NIigata, Gunma, and Nagano areas where vehicles traveling in opposing directions are traveling at high speeds inside the same tunnel without a divider, and I recall praying to myself each time a truck would approach my vehicle during the late hours of the ski season because I knew that many of the truck drivers would fall asleep while driving and cross over the line.

Yes, exactly! I go through the same thing every single time. When I drive through the tunnel, the trucks and many cars as well go so, so fast and with only one lane and being under there for almost 4 min. does make you cringe. I am always happy until I get out of there. But I know a lot of people that hate and refuse to wear seat-belts.

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There are several similiar scary roads in the NIigata, Gunma, and Nagano areas where vehicles traveling in opposing directions are traveling at high speeds inside the same tunnel without a divider, and I recall praying to myself each time a truck would approach my vehicle during the late hours of the ski season because I knew that many of the truck drivers would fall asleep while driving and cross over the line.

R.I.P. Wada-san and Shimomura-san.

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So sorry to hear this news right before the holidays, but yes, I would also put money on them not wearing seatbelts in the back. Sad :(

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That is a very dangerous road, I take it twice a week and you most definitely need to be vigilant when driving it, it's so easy to lose your life because for one thing, a lot of people race like speed demons through that bypass with little regard for other peoples safety. Very sad news.

RIP

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That's a scary road, especially after dark or in icy conditions. It's 2 lanes through a mountain pass, and there's little leeway if someone crosses over.

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I'm assuming the 2 victims in the back seat were not wearing seatbelts unlike the other 3 survivors in the front. We need to wear belts at all times! RIP

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