Does ～そう modify both verbs in a double-verb construction?

Question

I heard the phrase:

その男の子が車にひかれて死にそうだった。　　

When I head the V1てV2, I assumed that Verb 1 (ひかれて）had actually happened and that Verb 2 (死にそう) was a consequence. But someone pointed out to me that the そう from Verb 2 also applied to Verb 1. In other words, that Verb 1 had not actually happened.

Japanese: その男の子が車にひかれて死にそうだった。

English 1: That boy was hit by a car and almost died.

English 2: That boy was almost hit by a car (and would have been killed).

Which (if either) is correct? Does the そう always modify preceding verbs in a double verb construction? Or is it a case where there is ambiguity?

Perhaps the addition of a comma （ひかれて、。。。）would indicate some difference?

Answer 1

This depends on the context.

Examples of そう applied to the combination of two verbs:

• あの子は天才だ。将来は学者になってノーベル賞を取りそうだ。
• いつもの時間に家を出たら、強い雪が降ってきた。電車が遅れて遅刻しそうだ。
• 明日彼にこの話をしたら、彼はショックを受けて泣きそうだ。
• 転んで怪我をしそうな山道

Examples of そう applied only to the second verb (i.e., the first verb describes a known fact):

• オリンピックが近づいて日本への観光客が増えそうです。
• 申し訳ありません、電車が遅れて遅刻しそうです。
• 正直に彼に話をした。彼はショックを受けて泣きそうだ。
• ぬかるんで滑りそうな山道

A comma tends to be used before the second verb if そう is applied only to the second verb, but you cannot rely on this too much.

• その男の子は車にひかれて、死にそうだった。
  (sounds like the boy was actually run over by a car)

轢かれる is an event which is likely to cause a death (it's more serious than just being hit). Unless there is a comma, people tend to treat 轢かれる and 死ぬ as a set.

Answer 2

I think the most appropriate translation is;

（今現在【いまげんざい】）その男の子が（走ってくる）車に轢【ひ】かれて死にそう（な状態）だった

which means;

(RIGHT NOW) The (encoming) car is going to hit that boy; and he's gonna die!

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I'm just a native speaker passing by, hope my answer can help.

Answer 3

If it were me, if the boy was almost hit, then I would say ひかれそう, therefore without further information/context, I would understand this to mean the former, which is to say the boy was actually hit and almost died.
By the way, 死にそう can have several meanings; 1) (literally) on the verge of death, or 2) (figuratively) very seriously injured but not technically/medically dying, so not necessarily "almost died" but that's off the topic I guess.