"‘If you die, I’ll take responsibility’ Taxi driver blocking ambulance, can murder charges apply?… Cheong Wa Dae petition reaches 500,000"

Is Murder Charge Applicable to Taxi Driver Who Blocked Ambulance?
'Petition for Taxi Driver Punishment' at Blue House Surpasses 500,000 Signatures

Taxi driver blocking the ambulance. Photo by MBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Public opinion is growing demanding severe punishment for the taxi driver following claims that an emergency patient died because a taxi blocked an ambulance. In particular, experts have suggested that not only obstruction of business charges but also charges of murder by implied intent could be considered, drawing attention to whether this will lead to actual punishment.

Social outrage has intensified especially because the taxi driver reportedly told the patient's family at the time of the accident, "If (the patient) dies, I will take responsibility." As of the afternoon of the 5th, a petition to punish the taxi driver on the Blue House website has surpassed 500,000 signatures.

According to a Blue House national petition posted on the 3rd, a collision occurred around 3:15 p.m. on the 8th of last month between a private ambulance and a taxi changing lanes on a road near Godeok Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 in Gangdong-gu, Seoul.

The ambulance was en route to Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital with an 80-year-old grandmother in stage 4 lung cancer and her son and other family members. The hospital was about 100 meters away from the accident site. However, a collision with a taxi occurred, and the taxi driver blocked the ambulance, obstructing the transfer.

Regarding the situation at the time, the grandmother’s son and petitioner said, "The ambulance driver repeatedly said we had to go to the hospital, but the taxi driver replied rudely, 'We need to handle the incident first, where do you think you’re going? The patient can be sent to the hospital by calling 119 (emergency services).'"

He added, "The taxi driver also said to the ambulance driver, 'If that patient dies, I will take responsibility. There’s no emergency patient here, so you deliberately turned on the siren to go faster, didn’t you?'" He even opened the ambulance’s rear door and took photos," he added.

According to the petitioner, the patient who arrived at the emergency room did not open her eyes and died five hours later. The petitioner appealed, "We are waiting for police punishment, but they say the charge is only obstruction of business. Thinking that the taxi driver will receive only a light punishment and be released breaks my heart."

The son, who appealed for severe punishment of the taxi driver through the petition, appeared on JTBC's on the 4th and repeatedly urged strong punishment for the taxi driver.

Regarding the situation where the taxi driver blocked the ambulance and refused to move aside, the son explained, "At that time, my wife and father were riding together in the ambulance, and my wife told the taxi driver that we needed to get to the emergency room quickly. She said the accident could be handled later since it was recorded on the black box and it was a minor accident. Despite this, the taxi driver kept saying that the patient could be sent by calling 119 and that the accident should be handled first. Eventually, the taxi driver called 119, and the emergency services arrived."

About the arrival of 119, he said, "The weather was very hot that day, and the sun was shining on my mother’s face, but my father covered her face with his palm. Then I arrived, and shortly after, 119 arrived. The paramedics took my mother and me in the ambulance, and we went straight to the emergency room."

A black box video attached by the petitioner who posted on the Blue House National Petition on the 3rd. The petitioner claimed that the taxi driver should handle the accident and leave, and that they argued for 10 minutes, including getting out of the car to take photos. Photo by YouTube capture

Regarding his mother’s condition upon arrival at the hospital, he said, "When we arrived and entered the emergency room, I witnessed my mother having vaginal bleeding. She had never experienced bleeding before. Because the doctors were in an urgent situation, they had to find the cause of the bleeding, so they performed both an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. There was no bleeding in the stomach. After preparing for the colonoscopy, she passed away."

The bereaved family expressed anger that there was no apology from the taxi driver. The son lamented, "There was no apology call. I don’t even know the person’s name or age, and there was no apology call or anything."

Experts have expressed views that murder charges could be considered for the taxi driver’s actions. Han Moon-chul, a lawyer specializing in traffic accidents, emphasized in an interview with YTN, "From the bereaved family’s perspective, their mother urgently needed to get to the hospital emergency room, but she was delayed there. This is not just a simple obstruction of business charge; murder by implied intent could also be considered."

Meanwhile, as of 3:30 p.m. on the same day, 503,253 people had agreed to the petition demanding punishment for the taxi driver.

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