New Taipei Prosecutors Indict Drugged Driver for Murder in Fatal Crash Involving Sisters

A major and shocking road traffic accident occurred in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City. A man surnamed Wang, after consuming the emerging drug etomidate—commonly known as "space oil"—insisted on driving despite being in a trance. While driving, Wang first reversed improperly, directly knocking down a pair of sisters who were out riding a scooter together. Instead of getting out to check on them or provide rescue, Wang slammed on the accelerator and charged forward, directly rolling over the two victims who were lying helpless on the ground. The incident tragically resulted in one sister's death and left the other severely injured. Following meticulous evidence collection and investigation, the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office concluded its probe today. Determining that Wang is implicated in serious offenses, prosecutors indicted him on charges of homicide. As the case meets the relevant statutory requirements, it will be tried under the Citizen Judges Act, leaving a panel of citizen judges and professional judges to jointly render a fair verdict.

The core catalyst of this tragedy points to etomidate, an emerging drug that has spread rapidly in Taiwan in recent years and caused serious social concerns. Etomidate was originally a medical short-acting intravenous anesthetic, typically used clinically for surgical anesthesia induction or sedation. However, because it has central nervous system depressant side effects—such as causing a drunken state, unsteady gait, blurred consciousness, loss of body control, and blackouts—it has been illegally abused by bad actors in recent years, frequently added to electronic cigarette oils for sale, commonly known as etomidate e-cigarettes or "space oil." Relevant government agencies have long been aware of the immense threat such substances pose to public order and road safety. Earlier this year, the Executive Yuan officially announced its classification as a controlled substance and has progressively raised its drug scheduling in a strong attempt to curb drug proliferation from the source and through law enforcement. Nevertheless, many individuals still harbor wishful thinking and drive after consumption, tearing apart irrecoverable families.

According to the sequence of events reconstructed by prosecutors, Wang's cognitive functions and reaction abilities were severely poisoned by drugs when he drove his car. When the vehicle passed through a section of Zhonghe District, Wang made a serious operational error while reversing, directly knocking down a pair of sisters who were riding their scooter normally behind him. Logically, a driver's immediate reaction upon a collision should be to stop immediately, check on the injured parties, and call the police. However, having lost emotional control or due to the impairing effects of drugs on his judgment, Wang not only failed to stop his car but instead took the most vicious action: he heavily stepped on the accelerator to speed forward, directly and alive crushing the two innocent women lying beneath the wheels. This extreme driving behavior, which disregarded the lives of others, resulted in one victim succumbing to her injuries after being sent to the hospital, while the other sustained severe injuries, enduring immense physical pain and psychological trauma.

The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office attached high importance to the case upon accepting it. Prosecutors directed judicial police authorities to review a large volume of intersection surveillance footage and dashcam recordings, combining this with the forensic autopsy report, on-site forensic results, and the drug test reports of the suspect's blood and urine to clarify that Wang was indeed under the influence of etomidate at the time of the incident. After carefully reviewing his driving trajectory and subjective criminal intent, prosecutors concluded that Wang knew full well that continuing forward after reversing and hitting someone would most likely claim the lives of those lying on the ground, yet he still insisted on accelerating and rolling over them. Subjectively, he already possessed the conditional intent to commit murder. Consequently, upon the conclusion of the investigation, he was not prosecuted for the general charge of negligent homicide, but was instead directly indicted under the Criminal Code for the crime of homicide, demonstrating the judicial authorities' zero-tolerance attitude toward drug-impaired driving that claims lives.

Notably, because this case falls within the scope of application of the Citizen Judges Act, it will become another important implementation of trying major cases of high public concern under the citizen judge system. According to current Taiwanese legal regulations, intentional crimes resulting in death are, in principle, required to undergo trial proceedings involving citizen judges. This means that in the future, randomly selected citizen judges will sit in the same courtroom with professional judges to jointly listen to the evidence and arguments presented by both the prosecution and the defense. After thorough discussion in the courtroom, they will jointly determine the defendant's criminal responsibility and sentencing. This transformation in the judicial system aims to introduce citizens' life experiences and social values, bringing judicial judgments closer to the expectations of social justice.

This major fatal and injury accident caused by drug-impaired driving has not only plunged a happy family into the instant grief of permanent separation, but has once again sounded the alarm for Taiwanese society regarding drug prevention and traffic safety. Drugs not only erode an individual's health, but the moment a drug user gets behind the steering wheel, it is no different from unleashing a bomb on public roads that could detonate at any moment. As prosecutors indict him on homicide charges and the case is handed over for trial by citizen judges, all sectors of society are closely monitoring the subsequent trial progress, expecting the judiciary to provide closure to the victims' families and exert a strong deterrent effect against potential dangerous driving.