TransAsia Airways Chairman Charged for Driving Recklessly

The chairman of accident-plagued TransAsia Airways was formally charged Tuesday for driving recklessly when he caused the injury of a motorcyclist earlier this year.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office said that on March 14, Vincent Lin made an illegal lane change in his Porsche in a mountainous part of Xindian in New Taipei, forcing a motorcycle in the oncoming lane off the road.

The motorcyclist, named Hsu Yun-hsuan, sustained multiple injuries after he crashed into the side of the mountainous road because of Lin's abrupt move.

In a statement issued within a week after the incident, Lin said he was prepared to cooperate with authorities and also apologized for his action. He has since reached a settlement with Hsu.

Prosecutors wanted to indict Lin for both negligence causing an injury and an offense against public safety, but decided not to go ahead with the first charge after the two sides reached the settlement.

They stressed on Tuesday, however, that his offense against public safety was clear and indicted him on that charge.

Lin's airline has been plagued by a series of safety woes in the past two years, most notably two fatal accidents in July 2014 in Penghu and February 2015 in Taipei that left dozens dead.