Lin, 20, works for his family's joss paper business, selling papercraft funeral offerings commonly used in Chinese traditional rituals that venerate one's ancestors. After a long night of deliveries, Lin nodded off behind the wheel of his van and, at 5:40 a.m. local time, smashed into the back of a line of four Ferrari sports cars at about 40 km/h, sending the back ones careening into the front ones, Taiwan News reported.
The four cars, which were parked along the roadside in New Taipei City's Shiding District, near the Danlan Suspension Bridge, were among a fleet driven by sports car enthusiasts who'd gathered to drive the Beiyi Road to Yilan, a winding, scenic drive through the mountains.
Lin struck the rear car first, a yellow Ferrari 488, leaving a deep gash along its side and ripping off its side mirror, before running into the back of the white Ferrari F12. The F12 was propelled forward into a blue Ferrari 488, which ultimately hit the lead red Ferrari 488, which suffered the least damage of the bunch.
This poor delivery driver in Taiwan the other day hit four Ferraris with his delivery van and accumulated a $1.6 million repair bill… pic.twitter.com/ABZ6VlhPnW
— Morgan Artyukhina (@LavenderNRed) December 18, 2018
Together, the price tag for repairs is a hefty NT$50 million, Taiwan News noted, or $1.6 million.
Once the public got news of the debacle, however, people quickly rallied to help the delivery man pay the massive indemnity.
After public inquiries mounted about how to help Lin, the New Taipei City Government Social Affairs Department opened a special account for donations, Taiwan English News reported.
The publication noted that people have been going to Lin's mother's shop to donate money, too, sometimes doing so anonymously.
By Tuesday, United Daily News reported that NT$220,000 of donations had accumulated.
More details have emerged about the struggling family. Lin's father died five years ago, and his mother became the main breadwinner, opening the store to provide for her family, Taiwan English News reported. Lin reportedly dropped out of his studies at Tungnan University to help his mother support his two siblings, too.
The publication noted that the head of the university's Interior Design Department and one of his teachers paid Lin's family store a visit, urging Lin to return to his studies and promising to waive his tuition fees and help find him internships and other industry connections. They pledged a NT$80,000 donation and said they would launch a donation drive on campus.
