Truck driver arrested over fatal accident on expressway

Tuesday 22nd July, 09:56 AM JST

KANAGAWA —

Police on Tuesday arrested a 31-year-old truck driver for allegedly killing two people on an expressway in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, after he hit their car which was parked on a curve.

Kiyonori Takano, 31, was arrested on the spot after the accident just before 1 a.m., police said. The names of the victims have not yet been released.

9 Comments

nisegaijin at 10:09 AM JST - 22nd July

its illegal to park on the expressway. why was he arrested. Families of the "victims" should be paying for damage to his truck.
roasis at 10:21 AM JST - 22nd July

"allegedly killing "---> common can we have more detailed version..
TJrandom at 10:26 AM JST - 22nd July

There are no doubt some exceptions – but expressways in Kanagawa are generally safe if everyone is alert and not speeding, and even if another car is stalled.

Practice defensive driving: expect the unexpected, don’t overdrive your stopping distance, maintain distance, never depend upon being “in the right” – and just maybe you will not cause an accidental death.

My guess is that he was speeding, as many do on expressways.
USNinJapan2 at 10:28 AM JST - 22nd July

nisegaijin

Hold your horses. Definitely need more details to determine who was at fault. If the car had been stopped on the expressway so the passengers could take a photo, talk on the phone, relieve themselves, etc. then yes they should be found to be at fault posthumously for negligence. If they'd stopped because their car had broken down or for some other emergency then it's an entirely different story. Regardless, I don't think it's right for the truck driver to be blamed for this accident, that is unless he himself wasn't paying attention and failed to avoid the car when he easily could. Of course this is Japan so a traffic accident is never 100% any one side's fault no matter what the circumstances are...
Brainiac at 10:39 AM JST - 22nd July

It doesn't matter why the car was parked on the curve. It is standard investigative procedure in Japan to arrest the driver in fatal accidents. We see this time and time again, when cars or trucks hit cyclists, pedestrians, drunks passed out on the road, etc. Since both occupants of the car died, we'll probably never know why their vehicle was stopped.
desmosedici at 11:15 AM JST - 22nd July

Anticipating while driving is seemingly rare. Truck drivers are often in a hurry and driving way too fast. Funny to read bumper stickers of trucks speeding past you: "o saki ni douzo".
Zen_Builder at 11:40 AM JST - 22nd July

You will find that both will be charged, regardless of who is the guilty party.

Happens in many countries. A driver also needs to drive in away to avoid a vehicle blocking the road. Which can happen by accidents, etc.

Fun side-story: Back home when your stopped car crossed the white line you would get fined as it is illegal. Two options: 1.) Excessive speeding and thus failing to stop in time 2.) For faulty breaks which prevented you stopping in time.

Interesting titbit on japanese law. Lets say a car hits a bicycle, it is the drivers fault so he will be charged. But the damage/sentence will be reduced if the Bicycle rider did stupid things like holding an umbrella, texting, etc.

IN addition the damages payout to the bicycle rider will also be reduced by the goverment and insurance company.

Happened to a friend she she was found as being partially guilty to the accident and only got 70% of the payout vs 100% if she tried to hold an umbrella to keep dry.
himasan at 01:28 PM JST - 22nd July

Most truck drivers drive way too fast and tailgate like no other. If this truck driver is found to have exceeded the speed limit by a lot, then he should have his ass kicked.
sensei258 at 06:40 AM JST - 23rd July

In Japan, if you are doing the hitting, its your fault no matter what caused you to do it. That's why when 2 vehicles pass each other on a narrow street, one will stop to allow the other to move by. Also, there is an unwritten rule about size & guilt. For example: bike vs pedestrian = bike driver guilty, car vs bike = car driver guilty, and truck vs car = truck driver guilty.