After entering Guocheng Street, the driver -- Yu Wen-cheng, 78 years old -- accelerated without honking or braking. In eight seconds, the car sideswiped a cyclist, then plowed into scooter riders, students, and pedestrians at the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang Streets. The vehicle continued into Lane 132 of Fuxing Road, striking more pedestrians before crashing into a traffic island and stopping. Three people lost their lives: a 40-year-old woman named Hung, waiting on her scooter at a red light, and two female students from Sanxia Junior High School -- a 12-year-old surnamed Wu and a 13-year-old surnamed Liu. A third student, a 12-year-old surnamed Chang, arrived at Tucheng Hospital without vital signs but was successfully resuscitated. Eleven others were injured.

In the immediate aftermath, shopkeepers ran from their stores. Traffic patrol volunteers, teachers, and students rushed to the intersection, directing vehicles away from the wounded, performing CPR on those without vital signs, desperately trying to use the golden hour. The first responders were not paramedics but neighbors -- people who had watched these children walk to school that morning. Yu Wen-cheng was taken to Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in a coma. After two surgeries and 12 days in intensive care, he died of multiple organ failure on May 31.

The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board classified the event as a major road accident and retrieved the car's event data recorder. The investigation, concluded on July 14, 2025, found the vehicle was functioning properly. Yu was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Although he suffered from chronic illnesses, prosecutors found no evidence his consciousness was impaired. The data showed Yu had accelerated to over 100 km/h without braking or warning while driving through a densely populated school zone during dismissal hours. Prosecutors concluded his actions constituted "oblique intent to kill" -- a legal concept under Taiwan's criminal code indicating conscious disregard for life-endangering consequences. Because Yu had died from his injuries, no indictment was issued, and the case was closed.

The incident became known as the 519 Incident, and it triggered a national reckoning. President William Lai and Premier Cho Jung-tai visited hospitals the evening of the crash. Families of victims petitioned the president directly, demanding reforms to address dangers posed by elderly drivers. The Legislative Yuan held a moment of silence. Every major political party called for traffic policy reform. The DPP proposed public hearings on license renewal and driver retraining. The Kuomintang advocated stricter renewal thresholds including vision and reaction-time evaluations. Civic groups organized protests and memorial events, including the "White Paper Crane Tribute" at the crash site.

In the days after the crash, citizens came to the intersection on Guocheng Street by the hundreds. They left snacks, flowers, stuffed animals, and new school uniforms -- the uniforms the dead students would never wear. The Ministry of Transportation announced reforms: lowering the age threshold for license renewal, introducing new testing requirements, and offering transit subsidies for drivers over 70 who voluntarily surrender their licenses. The licensing exam itself would be made harder. These measures were expected to take effect in 2026. Whether they will prevent the next tragedy at the next school gate is the question Taiwan now carries, along with its grief.