17-year-old Ibaraki boy dies after being found bleeding with tire marks on his head

Thursday 16th July, 09:25 AM JST

IBARAKI —

A 17-year-old boy was found on an Ibaraki prefectural road in Hitachi City early Wednesday morning, bleeding from his head which had tire marks on it, police said.

Police said a man driving along at about 2 a.m. Wednesday noticed the boy lying on the road and called for an ambulance. The boy, Shota Iizuka, who lived nearby and was a third-grade student at a private high school, suffered a serious brain hemorrhage and was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after. Tire marks were found on the boy’s head in what appears to be a hit-and-run incident.

Police also said the boy had told his parents that he was going to dinner with some friends when he left home at about 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 29 Total Comments Show All

USNinJapan2 at 02:06 PM JST - 16th July

steen

You do live in Japan right? ; )
steen at 03:39 PM JST - 16th July

Haha! Yes. In a nice part: Gunma.
moonbeams at 05:59 PM JST - 16th July

Driver's actions were disgusting. No excuse. But it is possible that the driver did stop, see that there was no way to bring the young man back, and thought "live my life of go to jail."
rei307 at 07:08 PM JST - 16th July

I live in Japan for 10 years... It seems like motorists hate to stop for pedestrians. At a crosswalk! It really makes#%$&%&%&
MeanRingo at 09:13 PM JST - 16th July

Ban cars altogether. Whoever took a 6-7 minute drive above should get off their lazy ass and ride a bike to work. Very little chance of killing a kid when you hit them with your bike. Drop the kuruma slave mentality people. Get off yer asses and onto a bike.
GAYMAN at 09:42 PM JST - 16th July

fairly incontrovertible evidence of a car being the suspect
hoserfella at 10:47 PM JST - 16th July

meanringo - Ban cars. funniest thing Ive read on JT for some time. The other day, a kid on a bike ran into me at a crosswalk. By your curious reasoning, we should now ban all bikes, as well.
BeaverCleaver at 10:50 PM JST - 16th July

Yet another person hit by a car. Those things are stealthy you know, and sneak up on people and then WHAM, like a leopard, they rise out of the underbrush and drag you down.

steen-"Yesterday my 16-year-old son was knocked off his bike on his way to school. "

And another! They really ought to make them big so people can see them coming. Perhaps they could also make them noisier by fitting them with a internal combustion engine or something like that. They should also make a clear path for the things to go on so it will be easier to judge their path. We could call it a "road", and encourage people to be open their ears and eyes when they approach it. It will be no mystery that people get hit until my ideas are implemented.
BeaverCleaver at 11:40 PM JST - 16th July

rei307-"I live in Japan for 10 years... It seems like motorists hate to stop for pedestrians. At a crosswalk! It really makes#%$&%&%&"

True, cars hate to go from 40k plus to a dead stop just so you can cross the road. But I prefer to think of it this way: It seems like pedestrians hate to stop for motorists, despite the fact that its much easier and less hassle and energy and time lost for a pedestrian to stop and start again. Also, the do this despite the law of steel, which states: Whoever has the most steel should be given the right of way. Failure to obey the law of steel can result in tire tracks on your head.

And its just a fact of steel, and even the kindest motorists may not be able to bend the law of steel for you before its too late. Ignore the law of steel at your peril.
Icewind007 at 01:53 AM JST - 17th July

In the incident reported, had the driver stopped, he/she would be arrested, the penalty will be severe: it's only natural to try to avoid such punishment.

Unfortunately true. It may have been a true accident where the situation was all against the driver and the kid (may not) and this would have cost the driver the rest of his life (whether in jail or with the news following him around) whether it was an accident or not.

While I never drove in Japan (never had to), there are circumstances where people who decide to walk or ride a bike have to be very cautious. Blind corners abound on narrow streets. While I do believe the driver shares this responsibility, the pedestrians are the ones who may not have a second chance. For this reason, I think the responsibility falls heavier on the walkers, though the unfortunate liability will be on the driver (a vehicle is a legitimate weapon after all).
YuriOtani at 03:13 AM JST - 17th July

BeaverCleaver, in Japan drivers are suppose to be "professional drivers". It is the responsibility of the driver to avoid pedestrians, motor scooters and motor bikes. Just because the speed limit is 40km does not give the driver the right. Road conditions are an influence on a big factor on speed and the above factor into this. Thus a driver should drive perhaps 20km or less when the possibility of and accident exist. While the "fact of steel" is around it is the responsibility of the driver to drive at a safe speed where that rule will not be a factor.
amerijap at 05:30 AM JST - 17th July

"bleeding from his head which had tire marks on it,..."

Geez, this just sounds so terrible. Probably, an unidentified car(a mini-van or a truck) was running after the boy who was riding a bike along the road. I suspect there's no bike lane or a pedestrian sidewalk regarding the road condition regarding that it is a 'prefecture road.' It's likely to be the one designated highway for motor vehicles. It’s not the same as most roads you see in downtown Tokyo. ) He got hit from behind and then bumped him on the ground several feet away, catching his head beneath the wheel in a few seconds.
BeaverCleaver at 07:42 AM JST - 17th July

YuriOtani:"BeaverCleaver, in Japan drivers are suppose to be "professional drivers"."

Putting a Dom Perignon label on a bottle of Kool-Aid does not make it Dom Perignon.

"It is the responsibility of the driver to avoid pedestrians, motor scooters and motor bikes."

I do not mind that they have that responsibility. I mind that they have more responsibility even though it is far, far easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to avoid accidents with cars. You got to be blind to not see how much easier it is for them to avoid accidents with cars than vice-versa.

"Thus a driver should drive perhaps 20km or less when the possibility of and accident exist. "

Where doesn't the possibility for an accident exist? I am all for slowing down in extreme cases, such as when a local parade is using the other lane, but it sounds to me like you want traffic to slow to a crawl in a host of situations.

"While the "fact of steel" is around it is the responsibility of the driver to drive at a safe speed where that rule will not be a factor."

The only way the law of steel ceases to become a factor is if the car is traveling 0 kph. Even then a bike careening into it will still lose. Even so, yes, a driver should drive a safe speed, and I have no trouble with fining the driver if speed was truly a factor in an accident with a bicycle or pedestrian. But usually, it isn't the main factor. The main factor is that the pedestrian or bicyclist simply was not paying attention. How do you miss a speeding car heading your way? A car is easier to avoid than a bull if you are playing matador, and its still stupid to play matador with a car.
YuriOtani at 01:12 AM JST - 18th July

BeaverCleaver, does not matter. It is the responsibility of the driver to avoid accidents. Even if the auto has to come to a complete stop to do this. There may be the "fact of steel" but Japanese law is what is important. Unlike America a driver can not say the child just appeared out of nowhere. Break Japanese law at your own peril. Be aware, be ready, do not drive distracted and keep the streets safe for both people and autos.
xGacktx at 02:19 PM JST - 22nd July

From a pedestrian's point of view: I would rather wait until it's safe to cross a road before I cross it than just start crossing assuming that the driver will stop. Drivers are in their own little world inside their cars and can't always see or hear what's going on around them. For all we know, this kid could have been in the driver's blindspot and was backed over. I'm not defending the driver though. The jerk should have stayed and faced the consequences of his actions or at least done something about it so the kid would have had a chance to live.