The hikers lit thick smoke to signal their stranded location to the rescue helicopter, while another man surnamed Yu lay nearby, already without breath or pulse. The two were stranded and helpless in the Taoyuan mountain area of Kaohsiung. Rescue personnel attempted a hoist rescue, but it was too late.
The accident occurred last January when the man surnamed Yu and several fellow hikers arranged to climb in the Taoyuan mountain area of Kaohsiung. The seven people had planned to summit and complete their “100 Peaks” climbing journey in four nights and five days. Unexpectedly, midway through the climb, the man surnamed Yu suddenly suffered severe abdominal pain and rolled on the ground. Aside from one companion who twice requested help and was willing to stay behind to care for him, the other five insisted on sticking to the schedule and ignored him. On the 30th, the man died in the mountains due to complications from a duodenal ulcer. By the next day, when the rescue helicopter arrived, the man had been dead for some time. These five teammates, who failed to render aid, were charged with negligent homicide.
Prosecutors believe that hiking involves many variables, making the hiking group a “dangerous community.” On the mountain, members are mutually dependent, trustworthy, and responsible for each other’s safety and care — a “position of guarantor.” The five teammates who ignored their ill companion should bear criminal liability for negligent homicide. Had the teammates actively assisted and evacuated him down the mountain for treatment at the time, the tragedy could have been avoided. The five defendants argued that they had all paid their own way to join the hike, were physically fit, and denied the charge of failing to help a dying companion.
(Kuai Le TV)