Suspected medical episode: 66-year-old driver crashes into Nantou snack shop, injuring owner

A white SUV suddenly veered into a well-known vegetarian snack shop in Caotun, Nantou County, overturning cooking carts, pots, utensils and ingredients. The crash injured the mother-and-daughter team running the business, with the owner suffering the more serious injuries.

The 66-year-old man had been waiting at a red light at the intersection of Tunshi Road and Minsheng Road. When the light turned green and he began to move, the vehicle apparently lost control and headed toward the shop on the corner of Hushan Road.

The owner was preparing food when the SUV struck her and her daughter. Both were taken to hospital, but the owner suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding in her spleen. Customers inside the shop escaped injury after barriers and stall structures in front of them helped them move out of the vehicle’s path.

Police said tests found no alcohol or drugs in the driver’s system. They suspect he became unwell and lost control, but the exact cause remains under investigation. Witnesses photographed and filmed the aftermath, with some describing the scene as frightening and others praying for the injured women’s recovery.