Mother of Asphyxiated Escape Room Employee Seeks Justice

A female employee at the Taipei escape room "LOGIC JUMP" passed away from asphyxiation while playing the role of a hanged ghost, and the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office ordered the release of two individuals, including the person in charge surnamed Ku, on bail. The employee's mother came forward today, hoping the judicial system will bring her justice and urging parents to pay more attention to their children's workplace environments.

The employee's mother, along with four current and former employees, held a press conference at the city council with Democratic Progressive Party's Taipei City Councilor Hung Chien-yi. Hung stated that an internal meeting record from the company in January 2024 mentioned that the part where an employee plays a hanged ghost could cause injury.

A former employee said that in 2023, they had reflected to the boss that this hanging game segment was very dangerous and hoped for the installation of a foolproof mechanism, but nothing came of it. Another employee also mentioned being choked around the neck while learning this game process and had hoped for foam padding to be installed on the floor, but the shop took no action.

Hung Chien-yi said that this business only provided a piece of paper stating to be sure to pay attention to safety during employee training and did not install any foolproof mechanisms during that time. He also displayed items identical to those used when the incident occurred, such as the rope, puzzle mats, and mask used by the employee. He stated that the employee operating this game segment is inside a locked room, and consumers can only watch through a one-way mirror, making it impossible to know if the employee is genuinely in trouble or just acting.

The employee's mother, in tears, said that her child passed away just before Mother's Day, and future Mother's Days will never be complete. "Can the judiciary protect my daughter? Has it served justice for her?" she asked. The operator was released on a mere NT$300,000 bail. "Is my daughter's life only worth NT$300,000?" If not for public attention, she wondered if her daughter would have died in vain.

The employee's mother stated that her daughter had a deep ligature mark on her neck during the autopsy, which will be an eternal pain in her heart.

She said her daughter was just a part-time student worker earning a little over NT$200 per hour, yet she lost her life for no reason. When her daughter was alive, she would often come home from work with multiple injuries. She had advised her daughter to quit, but "my daughter mentioned wanting to support herself and then go abroad to study painting. Why did she have to endure this pain?"

The family's lawyer stated that they implore the prosecutors to indict the person in charge as quickly as possible and to preserve all evidence that is being lost and may be destroyed. The company head's cloud storage still contains meeting records and other evidence waiting to be seized by prosecutors. They hope the prosecutors will give the plaintiff and their lawyer an opportunity to present their statements in court.

Hung Chien-yi said that employees of this shop had already pointed out the dangerous work environment. Although the Taipei City Government has conducted joint inspections of such businesses, the process should not be a mere formality. He demanded a mandatory investigation into whether similar shops could cause injury to employees and consumers and hoped the prosecutors would re-examine the relevant evidence.

The victim's mother said she hopes the judicial authorities will quickly issue a provisional attachment against the operator to make them pay the price they must, and she hopes parents will pay more attention to their children's part-time work environments. She sobbed again as she mentioned that her daughter had cats and dogs and loved small animals, "It's so sad to think that her furry kids will never see her again."

A representative from the Department of Cultural Affairs who was present said that the city government confirmed last week that the Department of Cultural Affairs is the competent authority for this type of business. From the 15th to the 20th, they conducted joint inspections of 34 escape room shops with the Construction Management Office and the Fire Department, issuing fines and demands for improvement within a time limit.

The Department of Cultural Affairs said that this round of inspections found that escape room shops only have surveillance cameras at the counter, but the cameras do not cover all game areas and staff work areas. Furthermore, not all operators explain the entire process, public safety, and help mechanisms to consumers.

Following the death of the female employee who played a hanged ghost at the Taipei escape room, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office on the 15th questioned the company's person in charge, surnamed Ku, and the venue manager, surnamed Huang, for negligent homicide. In the evening, Ku and Huang were ordered to be released on bail of NT$300,000 and NT$100,000 respectively, and both were restricted from leaving the country.