A man in Taoyuan was hit and killed by a cyclist while driving under the influence of drugs without a license. A national judge sentenced him to 11 years and six months in prison.

The 27-year-old man surnamed Lin has multiple criminal records and was convicted of being unable to drive a powered vehicle safely. At 11:46 pm on October 9, 2024, he hit and killed a cyclist surnamed Yang in Luzhu District, Taoyuan City while driving without a license and under the influence of drugs. The Taoyuan District People's Judge Court today (23rd) sentenced Lin to 11 years and June in prison for being unable to drive a powered vehicle safely and thus causing death.

After taking drugs, Mr. Lin drove the car of his unknowing friend surnamed Zheng on the road. When driving along Dazhu Road in Luzhu District towards Nanqing Road, because the drugs affected his attention, reaction and control, he first hit the cyclist surnamed Yang in front, and then hit a car parked on the roadside. The rider was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and died in the early morning of the next day. Mr. Lin's urine test showed that he was reacting to drugs such as etomidate.

The National Judge's Court held that Mr. Lin showed drug reactions in a urine test after the incident, and at about 11 o'clock that night, before the accident, he chased and hit other people's vehicles, and then hit the cyclist named Yang at 11:46. He did not stop immediately, but continued to drive about 75 meters, and stopped because he hit a vehicle on the side of the road. The successive accidents showed that his driving condition was abnormal. Therefore, it was believed that Mr. Lin did drive after taking drugs, but he stayed at the scene to comply with the surrender and sentence reduction regulations.

It is considered that Mr. Lin only drove drunk for convenience, which was not a minor crime. He did not receive any stimulation when committing the crime. Moreover, because he did not pay attention to the situation in front of the car, he drove the car from behind and hit the cyclist named Yang in front, killing him. The victim was not responsible. It is sufficient to recognize that Mr. Lin’s criminal means and the extent of his violation of obligations were serious. It also caused the victim’s family to lose a loved one and be separated forever, and he also seriously ignored the safety of the public.

After another review, Mr. Lin always denied drug driving, only admitted to negligent death, and never expressed any apology to the victim's family, let alone any substantial reparation. Before this case, he had been arrested several times on the road without a license, as well as his intelligence level, working as a template worker, etc. In particular, if there is a lenient or sympathetic background, and the opinions of prosecutors, litigation participants, attorneys of litigation participants, defendants, and defenders on sentencing are considered, according to the criminal law, the person cannot safely drive a powered vehicle and thus causes death, and is sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison, which can be appealed.