A taxi driven by a driver in his 70s crossed the centerline and crashed into an oncoming car, and the Japanese couple and their baby riding in the taxi were reportedly seriously injured.
The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul said on the 12th that it booked a taxi driver in his 70s, identified as A, on suspicion of causing a traffic accident resulting in injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents after crossing the centerline due to pedal misoperation, and is investigating.
A is suspected of causing an accident at about 7 p.m. on the 21st on a road in Yongsan District by crossing the centerline and colliding with a passenger car coming from the opposite direction.
A Japanese couple in their 20s riding in the taxi suffered fractures in the crash. Their 9-month-old daughter was taken to a hospital unconscious and is still reportedly in critical condition.
A initially claimed sudden unintended acceleration, but is said to have testified in a police investigation to the effect that the pedal was pressed incorrectly. No signs of drugs or alcohol were found with A.
Earlier, on the 2nd, a man in his 30s driving under the influence hit a Japanese tourist mother and daughter near Dongdaemun Station in Jongno District, Seoul, killing one.