Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Visually Impaired Paralympian Hit by Self-Driving Bus in Athletes’ Village, Suffers Injuries

At the ongoing Paralympic Games 2020, a visually impaired Paralympian was hit by a self-driving bus in the athletes’ village in Tokyo. Reportedly, the para-athlete has suffered injuries to leg and head. Toyota, developers of the self-driving bus, have now suspended the operation of the vehicles following the accident. The company, meanwhile, has issued an apology following the incident. Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Five Countries Make Paralympic Debut in Tokyo.

“A Toyota e-Palette, a mobility vehicle used to support mobility within the Athletes’ Village at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, collided with a visually impaired pedestrian about to cross a pedestrian crossing,” Toyota said in a statement.

“Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest apologies to the individual that was injured due to this unfortunate collision and we wish them a speedy recovery. We would also like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to those who use our mobility vehicles in the Athletes’ Village.

“All operations of the e-Palette are currently suspended. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation into the incident in order to determine the cause of this accident. In addition, we will conduct our own thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and we will continue to coordinate closely with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure that we prevent any incidents from occurring in the future,” it added.

The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games was held on August 24. The games after being postponed from last year will run till September 04. India is one of the participating nations at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2021 08:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).