A driver who crashed into five vehicles last Sunday in Thu Duc town, killing an 18-year-old girl, had a blood alcohol level above the maximum limit stipulated by law.
Pham Cao Tri, 39, was arrested by Thu Duc police on Monday to investigate offenses related to a series of road accidents on Nguyen Van Tang Street.
Police later said Tri had an alcohol level of 188.8 mg/100 ml of blood, well above the ceiling level of 80 mg/100 ml.
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Pham Cao Tri at the police station in Thu Duc town on November 13, 2023. Photo provided by police |
Upon his arrest, Tri told police he had a drinking party with friends at a nearby apartment building. Before the series of collisions, Tri said his car had already collided with another car so he could not control his speed.
The series of accidents occurred around 4:30 p.m. while Tri was heading towards the highway from Hanoi to Thu Duc.
Arriving at an intersection, his car collided with two other cars coming in the opposite direction, then hit three motorcycles, two on the road and one parked on the sidewalks.
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Following a traffic incident in Thu Duc town, HCMC, when a seven-seater car crashed into five cars and motorcycles and knocked down the wall of a house, November 12, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van |
The seven-seater car continued to hit the wall of a drinks stall before stopping. The series of impacts killed the 18-year-old girl on the motorcycle who was a student and injured two other people.
Vietnam prohibits drivers from consuming alcohol in any quantity. Violators will receive cash fines and license revocation, or face criminal charges if they cause injury to others or death.
The maximum fine for drunk driving, for people whose alcohol level exceeds 80 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.4 mg/liter of breath, is 30 to 40 million VND (1 230 to 1,640 US$) and 22 to 24 months of license revocation.
The moment a car crashes into a series of vehicles in Thu Duc town, HCMC on November 12, 2023. Video by VnExpress/Nguyen Diep
