At around 10:40 AM on the 23rd, the police received a report about a crash between a pedestrian and a garbage truck at an intersection in Shintomi-cho, Otaru-shi in Hokkaido.
Investigation revealed that the pedestrian was a 7-year-old boy in his second year of elementary school. He was hit by the left-turning garbage truck while he was crossing the road on the pedestrian crossing. The boy was immediately transferred to the hospital where he was later confirmed dead.
Upon arriving at the scene, the police arrested the 57-year-old truck driver on the spot on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in injury. During the investigation, the driver said: “I did not notice that the child was there. I feel very sorry.”
In light of the boy’s death, the police have changed the charges to negligent driving resulting in death. Further investigation into the details of the case is underway.
Elementary schools in Otaru-shi hold their closing ceremony on the 22nd, and thus summer vacation for the students started on the 23rd.
The accident occurred in a residential area around 1 kilometer southwest of JR Minami-Otaru station.
Source: NHK
