A driver who suffered an epileptic seizure while driving, killing three people and injuring six others in Nanshan District in May, has been transferred to the procuratorate for prosecution, according to a notice by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Procuratorate.
The driver, surnamed Liu, may face a jail term of more than 10 years, or even life imprisonment or death, for jeopardizing public safety and causing serious consequences, according to Chinese law.
The accident happened at 7:15 p.m. May 16, when the suspect lost control of his car at the intersection of Nanshan Avenue and Chuanye Road. The car drove at 64 kilometers per hour, above the speed limit of 60 km per hour, for more than 450 meters and crashed into a crowd waiting at a crosswalk before colliding with two cars stopped at a red light in the opposite lane, police said.
Policed investigation showed Liu obtained a U.S. driver’s license on Oct. 19, 2017 while studying abroad and applied for a domestic driver’s license on May 9, 2018 after returning to China. At the scene of the accident, police found drugs for treating epilepsy in his car.
Liu was diagnosed with epilepsy at two hospitals in December 2018. People with epilepsy are not allowed to drive because the event of an epileptic seizure endangers the lives of the driver and others. However, after the diagnosis, Liu did not apply to revoke his driver’s license and continued driving.