No problematic drugs were detected in a taxi driver in his 70s who caused a rear-end crash near Jonggak Station in Seoul that left 15 people dead or injured.
According to police and others on the 7th, the National Forensic Service notified the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency that all substances regulated under the Narcotics Control Act tested "negative" in a detailed drug test on a taxi driver, a person surnamed Lee.
Earlier, immediately after the crash, police conducted a rapid drug test on Lee. When morphine showed a positive reaction, they applied the suspicion of drugged driving and sought an arrest warrant.
However, the court dismissed the warrant, saying, "Given the driving distance at the time of the crash and Lee's condition, there is room for dispute over whether Lee took the drug listed in the warrant application or whether the crash occurred due to drug use."
Based on the National Forensic Service's detailed drug test results, police plan to drop the suspicion of drugged driving for Lee and apply only charges such as death or injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents and death or injury by dangerous driving under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Lee is suspected of causing a multi-vehicle rear-end crash while driving a taxi near Jonggak Station around 6 p.m. on the 2nd, killing a female pedestrian in her 40s and injuring 14 people including himself.