A suspended sentence of imprisonment was handed down to a truck driver in his 50s who struck a newlywed couple crossing a crosswalk, killing a pregnant woman and the fetus.
According to legal sources on the 30th, the single-judge criminal division 6 of the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced A, in his 50s, who was indicted on charges of death and injury under the Special Act on the Handling of Traffic Accidents, to two years' imprisonment, suspended for three years.
A was brought to trial on charges of hitting a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s who were crossing a crosswalk while driving a 7.5-ton (t) truck at an intersection in Singok-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, at about 10 p.m. on Sept. 10 last year.
At the time of the crash, the traffic signal for vehicles was red, and the victims were crossing the crosswalk with the pedestrian signal, it was found. A was determined to have continued driving without keeping a proper lookout, causing the crash.
Because of the crash, the woman, who was 17 weeks pregnant, suffered traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and died 17 days after the crash while receiving treatment. The fetus was stillborn.
Her husband, who was with her, also suffered serious injuries requiring about eight weeks of treatment, including rib fractures, pulmonary contusion, and traumatic hemopneumothorax.
According to the bereaved family, the deceased woman worked as an intensive care unit nurse at a university hospital and was on her way home with her husband after finishing a night shift on the day of the crash.
In a police interview, A reportedly said to the effect that "there was another car in the next lane, so while looking toward the side mirror, I did not see the light ahead." Considering the seriousness of the matter, police sought an arrest warrant and later referred A to prosecutors in custody.
The court noted, "Well before reaching the crosswalk, the signal for vehicles had already turned red, yet the defendant failed to confirm it," adding, "The victims were about two-thirds of the way across the crosswalk on a green signal when the crash occurred."
It continued, "The degree of the defendant's breach of the duty of care is severe, the pregnant woman died and the fetus was stillborn, and the husband was also seriously injured and is still undergoing treatment, so the outcome is very grave."
However, the court said it reflected in sentencing that a settlement was reached with the victims and that the defendant had no criminal record beyond a fine.