NANJING, June 23 -- The driver in a car crash in east China that killed five and injured 10 is in police custody, but the cause of the accident is still unclear.
A car hit several electric bikes early Monday morning near Nanquanyu Village in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. Police confirmed the car continued for another 600 meters after hitting the cyclists, only stopping after careering into a street light.
Bao Feng, from the Wuxi Police, said more bikes than cars travel along that particular stretch of road, and as there are few crossings and no line-of-sight obstructions, traffic accidents were few and far between.
According to the suspect's statement, he said he was so nervous after hitting the first person that he wrongly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.
However, police are not fully convinced. Bao said the suspect had been driving since 2006 and it was highly unlikely that an experienced driver would mistake the gas for the brake.
The online community has been discussing the incident, and some say that the driver might have been epileptic. However, the police said the suspect was not exhibiting any symptoms of epilepsy at the scene of the accident.
Police await the results of blood and urine tests, and a technical inspection of the car.
