Police said on the 21st that they concluded the Bucheon Jeil Market truck ramming incident was caused by the driver's pedal misoperation and sent the suspect to prosecutors.
That day, the traffic division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency sent market merchant A, 67, to the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors Office under arrest on suspicion of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents (fatality).
A is accused of causing a ramming crash with a 1-ton truck at Jeil Market in Wonjong-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, at about 10:54 a.m. on the 13th, killing four people — one man in his 20s and three women in their 60s to 80s — and injuring 18.
Just before the crash, A's truck backed up 1 to 2 meters, then sped for 132 meters at 35 to 41 kph, successively hitting victims and market stalls.
A "pedal black box" in the truck that shows the accelerator and brake pedals captured A pressing the accelerator, not the brake, at the time of the crash.
A said that while purchasing the truck used last year, a pedal black box was installed to guard against possible sudden unintended acceleration and other accidents.
In a police interview, A admitted to causing the crash, saying there was a mistake in the pedal operation.
After unloading seafood from the truck at a personal shop, A got back in and was reversing when the rear touched another merchant's stall, then got out to check. But when the truck began moving backward, A, startled, got back in and pressed the accelerator, leading to the ramming crash.
Casualties from the crash total 22: four dead, seven seriously injured, and 11 with minor injuries. With one additional person classified as having minor injuries recently, the previous total of 21 casualties increased by one.
They include 19 pedestrians (market visitors) and three market merchants, with most victims hit while walking between shops. All four of the deceased were also pedestrians.