Taiwan teen allegedly steals family's Mercedes, dies in fiery collision with truck

An 18-year-old man in Taiwan died after crashing his family's car into a semi-truck on the National Highway in Changhua on Tuesday (Sept 2).

According to ETtoday, the man, surnamed Ke, had allegedly stolen his family's black Mercedes and was speeding along the Tianwei section of the highway when he rear-ended a semi-truck.

The Mercedes struck another car and then burst into flames. The fire rapidly engulfed the vehicle, trapping Ke inside.

The accident reportedly occurred at 4.42 pm, when local highway police and firefighters received a report of a collision involving two vehicles.

Upon receiving the report, authorities immediately dispatched five fire trucks and an ambulance to the scene. A total of 11 firefighters responded to the scene.

By the time they arrived, the Mercedes had already been completely engulfed in flames, leaving behind only Ke's charred remains. 

The 58-year-old driver of the semi-truck, surnamed Liu, was uninjured in the accident, reported ETtoday. 

According to local news publication TVBS, the driver of the second car that was struck, surnamed Chen, 46, was also unharmed.

Grandmother of deceased describes him as 'well-behaved'

According to TVBS, Ke was an only child and often visited his grandmother's home.

On the day of the accident, Ke reportedly told his grandmother that he was going to his girlfriend's home in Yuanlin to pick up some clothes before the start of school.

Expressing grief over his sudden passing, Ke's grandmother revealed that her grandson had obtained his driver’s license in February of this year and would often visit her for meals. 

"My grandson was very well-behaved and always came to eat with me," she said. 

Investigations into the accident are reportedly ongoing.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com