Armless driver causes death

By Chen Qian  |   2008-6-27  |     ONLINE EDITION

A one-armed man who had been driving illegally for six years was finally caught by police ?but only after he had knocked down and killed an elderly woman.

Mou Chenghong, a Sichuan Province native, knocked down the woman on Caojin Road in Chengdu City on the night of June 23. The woman died in hospital later.

Police had been handling a civil dispute nearby and quickly took the driver into custody after the accident. They were taken aback to find he only had one arm.

Mou's story emerged under questioning. He did not have a driver's license even though he had been driving since 2001.

Mou's right arm was severed in a work accident when he was only 15. But after he learned to drive he drove constantly, though he only went out at night or early in the morning and never went downtown.

That was how, until the accident, he never encountered the police.

Mou had bought his 3,700 yuan (US540) van in May this year to help his business.

Mou told police that he was distracted by the civil dispute "but I had already slowed to 30km/h."
It didn't matter. He still lost control and he should not have been driving.

Police said Mou will be severely punished.