Driver in fatal Hangzhou accident gets 6 years in prison

A female driver who killed five pedestrians in downtown Hangzhou after she lost control of her car last summer was sentenced to six years in prison by a court in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on Monday.

The accident, which also injured seven passersby, happened at 7:05 pm on July 30 last year when the driver, a woman surnamed Chen, lost control of the vehicle while crossing the intersection of Jingzhou Road and Wen'erxi Road in Xihu district.

Chen was wearing a pair of slippers while driving, and mistakenly stepped on the gas, instead of the brakes, while crossing the intersection, causing the vehicle to crash into the pedestrians at 132 kilometers per hour.

According to a verdict made by the Xihu District People's Court, the accident was caused by "a narrow swerve when the vehicle was turning left", and her vehicle was driven up the separation zone in the middle of the road.

Out of panic, Chen then completely lost control of her vehicle, stepping on the accelerator hard, instead of the brakes.

Traffic police later ruled that Chen should bear full responsibility for the accident.