Man in Taiwan crushed by falling utility pole, he was buying dinner for family

Utility pole falls on man in Taiwan amidst Typhoon Koinu

After Typhoon Koinu struck Taiwan on Thursday (31 Oct), reports of damage and casualties began to emerge.

One tragic incident involved a man who died after a utility pole fell on him. He had braved the storm to buy dinner for his family.

Man hit by fallen utility pole while riding motorcycle

The deceased was a 47-year-old man surnamed Luo who lived in an apartment with his mother and sister, reported Taiwanese media outlet ETtoday.

That evening, Mr Luo, who worked as an insurance agent, decided to venture out to get dinner for the three of them despite the poor weather.

Along the way, a tree toppled due to the strong winds, bringing down a utility pole that fell on Mr Luo, striking him on the head.

CCTV footage of the deceased moments before the fatal incident showed that he was riding a motorcycle.

Fallen trees reported across Taiwan

Following the accident, emergency responders deployed to rescue Mr Luo found that he had suffered severe injuries, including a fractured skull.

He was then rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Typhoon Koinu brought strong winds and heavy rain to Taiwan, with Taipei recording maximum wind speeds of level 11. These are gusts measuring 103kph to 117kph, according to the Taipei Times.

By 6am local time on Friday (1 Nov), there had already been 3,370 incidents related to the storm, including 1,972 cases of fallen trees.

Also read: Student in M’sia struck by fallen tree on his way to school, dies of serious injuries

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Featured image adapted from ETtoday.