Regarding the accident in Taiwan where a limited express train derailed and killed 18 people three years ago, the local railway authorities sought compensation for damages from Sumitomo Corporation, which received an order for the vehicle, saying that a design error of a Japanese-made vehicle led to the accident. In the trial, the first-instance Taipei District Court ruled to dismiss the plaintiff's complaint.
In October 2018, in Yilan County, northeastern Taiwan, a limited express train approached a curve at nearly double the speed limit and derailed, killing 18 passengers.
Regarding this accident, the Railway Administration of Taiwan said that there was a design error in the air compressor related to the brakes and power of Japanese-made vehicles, and that the wiring to inform the operation command that the safety device was not working was not connected. Sumitomo Corporation, which received an order for the vehicle, has filed a lawsuit in the Taipei District Court for damages of about 610 million Taiwan yuan and about 2.5 billion yen, alleging that it led to the accident.
At the trial, Sumitomo Corporation claimed that the cause of the accident was the driver's overspeed, not that the wiring was not connected.
In the judgment of the first trial on the 9th, the court had nothing to do with the derailment even if there was a problem with the air compressor, and the fact that the wiring of the remote monitoring system of the safety device was not connected is also a causal relationship with the accident. He dismissed the plaintiff's complaint because it was difficult to admit.
The Railway Administration commented, "We will look at the details of the decision and consider whether to appeal."
Regarding this decision, Sumitomo Corporation said, "We cannot make detailed comments because we do not understand the reason for the decision. We pray for the souls of the deceased and extend our sympathies to the victims."