Elderly couple run over while cleaning highway in Shizuoka

Tuesday 25th November, 09:23 AM JST

SHIZUOKA —

An elderly couple were hit by a minivan Monday morning in Ito City when they were out on Route 136 cleaning up the mess caused by their own accident the day before. Tsubasa Iyama, 74, and his wife Yukiko, 75, both residents of Nishi-Izu, were taken to hospital but confirmed dead upon arrival.

According to police, Tsubasa lost control of his vehicle and damaged his car on the national highway the day before. They found glass fragments and a broom at the scene, and believe the couple were cleaning up Monday morning when they were hit by a minivan around 6.20 a.m. Police are questioning the 19-year-old driver of the minivan for further details.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 27 Total Comments Show All

Patrick Smash at 01:32 PM JST - 25th November

Route 136 is not a minor back street I'd imagine. This wasn't awfully sensible behaviour from the sounds of it.
Wottock_Hunt at 01:34 PM JST - 25th November

This is, I assume, why we're supposed to defer to the wisdom of our learned and esteemed seniors. I suppose this saves them the trouble of getting up on their roof to fix a blocked gutter during the next typhoon.

How very, very foolish.
Kameleon at 01:40 PM JST - 25th November

'Oops'.
electric2004 at 02:18 PM JST - 25th November

Maybe they wanted to clean up, before police notices there had been an accident caused by them.
nandakandamanda at 02:59 PM JST - 25th November

19 yrs old, 6:20 am, sounds as if he was asleep at the wheel.
dennis0bauer at 03:06 PM JST - 25th November

Maybe he was playing Midnight the manga on the road, i always hear those young guys race in the early morning over route 102 near my house.

But that elderly couple could have put a Hazard sign on the road, the one you ussualy put out when you have an accident
Tatanka at 03:18 PM JST - 25th November

Sarge -- yes, I know the driver is 100% at fault, but he should be in all cases. The old people I see are oblivious to cars.
Tatanka at 03:19 PM JST - 25th November

I meant to say the driver shouldn't be 100% at fault in all cases...
Netgaijin at 03:29 PM JST - 25th November

This is politeness drawn to the extreme. Why do you have to clean the road if you had an accident and glass fragments from your car made the road dirty? Why come next day morning to clean up? Maybe they were so guilty, they couldn't sleep the night before. Poor folks.
adm_kenshin at 03:41 PM JST - 25th November

Normally in Japan you are supposed to drive at a speed were you can stop in time if something happens, that why the drivers at fault, but this time the article said it happened on a highway, where there shouldn't be people. Therefore, I doubt they'll lock up the driver.
Deepinside at 05:27 PM JST - 25th November

SARGE: people are not allow to clean Highways,is too dangerous and there is a personal who make this job,,and the company who clean the highways,always wear neon clothes and they clean behind the clean wagons...sorry for this too old people but is not the driver fault...
disengage at 08:32 PM JST - 25th November

all the old japanese people i know are stubborn and prejudiced anyway.
Bertin at 10:35 PM JST - 25th November

This is sad anyways, when you think that they probaby did not sleep well because of the guilt of having spoiled the road. In a way this is admirable of sacrifice for the common good on the other way it is sad they were killed doing a small good action. It is evident that the young man is suffering pangs of distress - one does not kill two innocent without feeling bad. Without mentionning the charges pending over him most probably because he drove too fast.
nimbus at 05:38 AM JST - 26th November

This is very sad. I guess the saying "No good deed goes unpunished" is true.
bdiego at 06:11 AM JST - 26th November

Who says these two elderly are living off of your hard-earned money? Do you know these people? Are you talking to their relatives on this board?