Police are investigating the deadly car accident that took 9 lives, with all possibilities open.
The driver who claims the car suddely accelerated is reportedly a bus driver with 40 years of experience.
Ahn Sung-jin reports.
A devastating scene in downtown Seoul on Monday night.
A car drove into a group of pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk, killing 9 people and injuring 4 others near Seoul City Hall at around 9:27 PM.
The driver, a 68-year-old man with more than 40 years of experience as a city bus driver, is blaming sudden unintended acceleration.
A witness at the scene is saying otherwise.
“He applied the brakes at the end. Right there, after hitting everyone. This isn’t a case of sudden acceleration. You know how drivers usually deal with sudden acceleration. They try to hit a power pole. There was nothing like that. He just stopped here.”
An expert said that the driver did not try to avoid the pedestrians as you would in case of a sudden acceleration, adding that the deadly accident could have simply been caused by a mistake or carelessness.
The vehicle was also seen driving in the wrong direction, and collided with two vehicles before hitting people.
Investigators are not fully ruling out the possibility of issues within the car, considering the speed involved, reportedly 100 kilometers per hour.
“We specifically checked whether or not he was drinking, and it is understood that he was not under the influence of alcohol.”
The police took the driver in on charges of accidental homicide which falls under violations of the special act on the settlement of traffic accidents.
In a later briefing, the police stated that the driver was negative in all quick drug tests and had been taken to hospital due to injuries he himself suffered in the accident.
Analysis will be carried out by the National Forensic Service on the driver’s vehicle, footage from nearby CCTV cameras and the car’s dash cam, as well as statements from witnesses.
However, analysis from the National Forensic Service using its event data recorder system can take up to two months.
Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=272741
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