Grandma watches 7-yo grandson charge to own death on scooter

Grandma watches 7-yo grandson charge to own death on scooter

2026-05-29

Do you sometimes not switch off the engine of your vehicle if you’re only stopping briefly? This shocking accident may convince you to turn it off every time. On Wednesday afternoon, a grandmother in Changhua witnessed her 7-year-old grandson charge towards his death while getting seated on the scooter, which she had left running between trips. While the kid steadied himself, he held onto the right handlebar and accidentally twisted the throttle, which caused the scooter to go off. At the very instant the kid fell, a garbage truck arrived and ran over him, killing him on the spot.

The surveillance footage shows a person waiting for the garbage truck with a bag of waste in hand. In the same frame, a grandmother-and-grandson duo are about to set off on a scooter from a farm supply shop. The grandma stands on the left side of the scooter while she waits for the kid to steady himself on the seat. Suddenly, the scooter charges forward, crossing paths with the garbage truck that has just arrived. In that very instant, the kid is run over and dies on the spot.

Chen Han-yu
Hanbao Fire Station chief
When our team arrived at the scene, the patient’s brain tissue had already been clearly exposed and he was dead on arrival. We covered him with an emergency blanket right there and then.

The incident occurred on Erxi Road in Changhua’s Fangyuan Township. The grandmother had taken her grandson with her to buy fertilizers. Just as they were about to travel home on the scooter, the grandma had held the idling scooter with one hand, and waited for her grandson, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, to get seated. While the kid was steadying himself, he appeared to have twisted the throttle and caused the scooter to charge ahead. At that very instant, the garbage truck arrived. Even though an eyewitness had tried to gesture to the driver to stop, it was already too late. The grandmother could only helplessly watch the accident unfold.

Chang Hung-lin
Fangyuan Precinct, Changhua County Police
The kid, surnamed Lee, was getting seated on his grandmother’s scooter when he accidentally twisted the throttle and caused the scooter to charge ahead. At that instant, the Fangyuan Township Office’s garbage truck ran over Lee’s head. The driver involved in this case was not driving under the influence of drugs.

Eyewitness
Garbage truck incident
You must turn off the engine after getting off the scooter. You can’t leave the engine on. It’s a real hazard for young kids. He wasn’t even wearing a helmet.

The 7-year-old boy had lost his father to illness when he was only 3 months old. He was primarily raised by his grandma, as his mother works long hours.

- The grandchild was raised singlehandedly by the grandma herself.
- Apparently, he’s very clever.
- Yes, very.
- What happened must be really difficult for everyone.
- Yes, it’s such a pity. The grandma really blames herself.

Meanwhile, the township office stated that it will assist the family in procedural matters. The grandma is being supported by her community, but she will have to forgive herself to truly move on.

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#accident #caraccident #safety #roadsafety #scooter