Driver Found Not Guilty in Sudden Acceleration-related Car Accident

Driver Found Not Guilty in Sudden Acceleration-related Car Accident. January. 27, 2007 07:24. turtle@donga.com.

The court has acquitted a proxy driver who was indicted and detained after a car accident which was presumed to have been caused by sudden acceleration.

On January 26, Judge Song Kyeong-keun of Seoul District Court delivered a verdict of not guilty to the driver, known only by his surname of Park, who was indicted on charges of killing or injuring six people by driving a car about 160 meters in the opposite direction of a narrow one-way road. (in violation of Act on Special Cases concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents)

Judge Song said in his verdict, “Given the speed and power when the car jumped out, testimonies by witnesses, review of the accident scene caught on the CCTV camera, Park’s driving history, and his physical condition at that time, I suspect that the driving in the opposite direction was triggered by a situation that was uncontrollable by Park.”

On November 22, 2005, Park was parking a Land Rover on the side of the road in Mapo, Seoul. However, the car suddenly jumped out onto the one-way road in the opposite direction and drove 160 meters in just a few seconds at a speed of more than 100 kilometer per hour, hitting three different cars. During the process, one female worker (67) at a restaurant, who was doing some chore near the road, died, and five other people including Jeong (30) were injured.

Judge Song said, “CCTV cameras installed at the restaurants near the accident scene recorded that the brake light and a backup light of the car Park drove were lit,” which appear to acknowledge Park’s claim that he had the brake and rear-gear in use in order to stop the car. Song also took witnesses’ testimonies into consideration such as one that stated, “At that time, the car was making a roaring sound, and there were sparks coming from the bottom of the car.”