Police are investigating a man for giving the wheel of his car to his 16-year-old son, who crashed into five motorcycles at a red light on Saturday.
Police in Tuy Phong district in the central Binh Thuan province are collecting information on the health conditions of the five motorcycle drivers, all of whom were hospitalized with injuries after the accident.
Investigators are trying to determine whether there is any basis to charge the father with “allowing an unqualified person to drive a vehicle on a public road.”
A person can be charged with this crime if the act causes some degree of physical harm to another.
Five motorcycles are hit by a car at a red light in Binh Thuan province on September 2, 2023. Video by Anh Tai
Initial investigation revealed that the 41-year-old father was driving his family from Dong Nai province to Nha Trang for vacation. Since he was sleepy, he let his 16-year-old son drive the car. The boy “did not pay attention” while they were near a red light in Tuy Phong district and crashed into five motorbikes waiting for them at 6:30 a.m., police said.
The five motorcycle drivers were thrown into the air and fell violently onto the road. A woman was seriously injured and had to be transferred to Cho Ray Hospital, the main hospital for injured people in HCMC.
The boy tested negative for alcohol and drugs, but he was not yet of legal age to drive a car.
If charged, the father faces a fine of VND10 million to VND50 million ($415 million to $2,076), or up to a three-year community sentence, according to the Penal Code.
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Other travelers help five motorcyclists who were hit from behind by a car, in Binh Thuan province, September 2, 2023. Photo by Anh Tai |