Elderly Taxi Driver in 80s with Dementia Flees After Collision... Sentenced to Imprisonment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] An octogenarian suffering from dementia was sentenced to prison for hitting a taxi while driving and fleeing the scene.

On the 10th, Judge Lee Jong-hwan of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 22 announced that A (83), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (hit-and-run injury) and the Road Traffic Act (failure to take measures after an accident), was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year probation.

The court stated, "The damage was not severe and compensation was made through comprehensive insurance," and added, "Considering that the defendant is currently 83 years old and hospitalized in a nursing hospital due to Alzheimer's dementia and a spinal fracture, which impair mobility," explaining the sentencing rationale.

A was indicted for driving an SM5 passenger car near an apartment road in Namdong-gu, Incheon, and hitting a taxi that was waiting at a traffic signal at 6:32 p.m. on November 15 last year.

At the time, three people in the taxi?the driver B (54) and passengers C (32) and D (26)?sustained injuries requiring two weeks of treatment each due to the accident. Additionally, property damage amounting to approximately 1.2 million won occurred due to vehicle damage.

A is known to have fled the scene without taking any measures immediately after the accident.

It was investigated that A caused the accident by neglecting the duty to pay attention to the front and failing to see the taxi waiting at the signal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.