TOKYO (AP) — On Monday, a vehicle fit four children riding bicycles on a street in central Japan, resulting in one death and injuries to the others, with one being serious. Officials reported that the 78-year-old driver was arrested.
The crash occurred in the city of Hamamatsu. Officials said the two other children suffered no life-threatening injuries.
The Hamamatsu fire department said the children were elementary schoolgirls, aged under 10.
Police arrested the driver of a white mini truck, a farmer, for alleged negligence. Television footage showed the bicycles, with one crushed and distorted near the truck that apparently surged into the pedestrian area on the one-lane street and hit the children from behind.
According to the police, the driver admitted to hitting and injuring the children but could not remember how it happened.
Accidents caused by older drivers have been a concern in Japan. The government in recent years has stepped up a safety awareness campaign.
