On the 31st, a car driven by a man in his 70s crashed into a traditional market in Mok-dong, Seoul, resulting in 13 casualties. The man is reportedly not claiming sudden unintended acceleration.
Seoul Yangcheon Police stated that on this day, they booked the driver, Mr. A, 74, under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents for violation (causing death) following the accident at Kaebi Market in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu.
The accident, which occurred around 3:53 p.m., resulted in the death of one man in his 40s and injured 12 others. Among them, three people are classified as seriously injured. The driver was not seriously injured, and there were no passengers.
According to eyewitnesses, Mr. A was driving a 2007 Equus sedan from Yangdong Middle School towards the market, accelerated past a bus, and crashed straight into the market. The car struck pedestrians and shop signs.
In the police investigation, Mr. A testified to the effect that "I hadn't driven the car for a long time due to fear of the battery draining as it was parked for a long time, so I took it out after a while. I accelerated to avoid the bus ahead and tried to brake in front of the market stalls, but I don't remember it well."
Mr. A tested negative for alcohol and drugs in tests conducted by the police at the scene. The police believe the rear brake lights of Mr. A's car were functioning properly just before it hit the fruit store. They plan to investigate the speed of Mr. A's sedan at the time of the accident as well as the circumstances of the incident, using closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and other methods.