It has been four years since the accident in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, where an elderly driver's car ran out of control, killing a mother and her young daughter. The bereaved families visited the site to mourn the two deceased and to appeal for a society free of traffic accidents.
Four years ago, on April 4, a car driven by an elderly driver ran out of control in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, hitting pedestrians one after another, killing Mana Matsunaga (4) and her eldest daughter Riko (19), who were riding bicycles, and seriously injuring nine others.
On the 31th, four years after the accident, Mana's husband Takuya Matsunaga (3) and father Yoshinori Uehara (9) visited the cenotaph set up in a park near the site and offered a moment of silence according to the time of the accident.
Matsunaga said, "When I met Mana, I felt sad and painful remembering the excitement I felt when Riko was born, and the four years I spent after the accident.
He then appealed for accident prevention, saying, "The lives of these two people were really precious and irreplaceable to me, and the lives of all people living in this world are equally precious, so I want them to drive with love so that they obey traffic rules and protect each other's precious lives."
Mr. Uehara added, "The more time passes, the more suffering and sadness I feel and the desire to meet them, and I don't think this feeling will change even after many years. I was talking.
Many people offered flowers at the cenotaph
The accident, which claimed the lives of a mother and her young child, also brought the problem of elderly drivers into the spotlight once again.
On the 4th, four years after the accident, many people visited the cenotaph set up in a park near the site from the morning, laying flowers and putting their hands together.
A man in his 19s said, "I came here hoping that the victims would rest in peace, and I thought it was a poor accident even if it was a complete stranger, and when I saw the many flowers, I felt that there were people who felt the same way. I think it is important for each and every one of us to have an awareness that traffic accidents are not good."
In addition, a man in his 40s who recently returned his driver's license said, "I usually go back and forth here for work, so I came to this place on the day of the accident. I returned my driver's license thinking it was to prevent traffic accidents and pay tribute to the two people who died."