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An accident involving a kindergarten bus, a two-ton truck, two cars and a moped left two men dead and injured seven others, including four children, in Kumamoto City on Monday.
According to police, the accident occurred around 2:35 p.m. on Monday on National Route 266 through Chuo Ward, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Police said that after the truck hit the moped at an intersection, it entered an oncoming lane where it crashed head-on into the kindergarten bus, Two cars were caught up in the accident.
Police said the truck driver, Masamitsu Nakamori, 44, and the moped driver, Hiroyasu Uchida, 84, were killed. Four children between the ages of three and five, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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Do the hustle
Wooo! An 85 year old on a scooter? That’s an accident waiting to happen and, it did. Of course there is no indication of who is at fault, but a person in their mid-80’s does not have sprite reflexes.
Goodlucktoyou
Where I live 50% of over 75 year olds ride scooters and I’ve never seen an accident. They may have walking sticks, but they can ride much better that teenagers.
YongYang
And without doubt the kids weren’t wearing seatbelts. It’s going to happen, and when it does, it’ll be too late; even after decades of telling the Japanese, “Hey, get kids to wear seatbelts. You teach them to swim. Teach them to belt up."
Alex Einz
most likely its the track driver at fault.
forzaducati
Just from all the vehicles mentioned here, my money would have been on the 2 ton truck causing the accident, for those folks always seem to be in a hurry. Not mentioned here is that “the police is entertaining the possibility that there was something wrong with the truck driver’s physical condition just before the accident”.
Ah_so
Tests show that reaction times, vision and judgement begin to fail, particularly after 75.
juminRhee
American school buses still dont have seatbelts, despite accidents and requiring passenger vehicles to have not only seatbelts, but car seats for kids under 8. Imagine if school buses had to follow the law...
chisineko
As the population density increases problems develop. Some can be catastrophic and most unpleasant indeed.
Vince Black
Another accident involving an elderly driver, this time on a moped! Glad no kids were hurt
smithinjapan
Easy to assume the accident was caused by the moped driver, but the truth is we don't know. Until we do, assuming is foolish. Agree that kids on school buses need belts. Should be mandatory, but this is another thing in which safety will be trumped by convenience and cost.
kohakuebisu
Early signs are that the truck driver had a health problem, such as a stroke or heart attack. The police found him unconscious but with no external signs of injury.
RIP to the people involved.
mmwkdw
Thank goodness, the Kids were ok.
fogetti
@Vince Black
Not that I don't agree with what you said about elderly drivers but kids were apparently hurt.