A woman in her 20s who caused a crash while driving at more than twice the speed limit in a state of extreme intoxication, killing a driver in his 30s, was sentenced on appeal to five years in prison. The sentence is one year longer than in the first trial.
On the 12th, according to legal sources, the Criminal Division 1-3 of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Heo Il-seung, Director General judge) overturned the lower court's sentence of four years in prison for A, 24, who was indicted on charges of dangerous driving causing death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, and sentenced A to five years in prison.
A was brought to trial on charges of crashing into a vehicle driven by B, 31, at around 1:22 a.m. on Oct. 27 last year at Dongbu Bridge Intersection in Dangu-dong, Wonju, Gangwon, while driving a Sonata sedan with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.131%, causing B's death.
At the time, A ignored a stop signal and drove straight ahead, ramming into the front passenger door of B's vehicle. The impact sent B's vehicle into a traffic light pole.
B was taken to a hospital but died the next afternoon from brain injuries.
An investigation found that A caused the crash while driving at 104 kph on a road with a 50 kph speed limit.
In 2023, A had a prior record of receiving a fine for causing a traffic accident that injured another victim.
The Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court, which handled the first trial, said, "The victim lost a precious life, and it is difficult to fathom the sense of loss and grief felt by the victim's family, who lost a loved one overnight," and sentenced A to four years in prison.
In the appeal, prosecutors filed to amend the indictment to add that the speed limit in the crash section was 50 kph, and the court allowed it.
The appellate court, noting that A drove in a state of extreme intoxication, violated a signal, and exceeded the speed limit by a large margin before causing a fatal crash, imposed a sentence of five years in prison, one year longer than the lower court's.
The court said, "The victim died at the young age of 31, and the bereaved family is petitioning for a heavy sentence for the defendant," but added, "In determining the sentence, we considered that A acknowledged wrongdoing and is remorseful, and that the vehicle was covered by comprehensive insurance and the family received insurance payments."