A 70-year-old driver lost control of his SUV at a Taipei memorial park and plowed toward a crowd holding a Buddhist rite, narrowly avoiding what could have been a mass casualty — bad for the two people hurt, but a close call everyone walked away from.

• The SUV was heading up a slope inside Cihen Park in Taipei's Xinyi District when it apparently went out of control.
• It sideswiped a parked shuttle bus, tore into a covered walkway, and only stopped when it hit a wheelchair ramp.
• Dozens of people were gathered nearby for a memorial service; witnesses said the car came straight at them and the ramp took the impact instead.
• Two men were lightly hurt — the driver and a 25-year-old passerby. The driver tested clean for alcohol and had a valid license.

Outlook: Police are still working out what caused the crash and who is at fault, and are reminding drivers to keep brakes maintained and stay alert on inclines.