Teen Accused as Unlicensed Driver in Traffic Accident Claims "I Was in the Passenger Seat"

Police Identify Only Unconscious A as Driver Based on Passengers' Statements

Parents' Grievance Leads to Private Research Institute Request... Considering Overall Situation, Passenger Seated in Front Seat

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] As the identification of the driver involved in the traffic accident that occurred in Gwangju last June has been at a standstill for over five months, experts have presented conflicting opinions regarding the driver pointed out by the police, drawing attention to the outcome.

The police judged that there is insufficient evidence to identify the driver in the accident and, based on the testimonies of the passengers, have so far identified Mr. A, who is the only one unconscious, as the driver.

Mr. A’s parents find this circumstantially unacceptable and have requested a reinvestigation by the police. Recently, they also commissioned the Traffic Accident Engineering Research Institute, from which they received an “analysis report” on the 6th stating that it is highly likely that Mr. A was not the driver.

Engineer Yoon Daegwon, who prepared the analysis report, explained, “Mr. A mainly suffered severe injuries to the face and head, while the damage to the interior driver’s seat and the left side of the vehicle was very minor. The vehicle crossed the center line before the collision and rotated counterclockwise, during which the occupants’ bodies were pushed to the right by centrifugal force. In this process, the front passenger likely suffered fatal injuries from direct impact with the crushed and intruding vehicle structure.”

Among the five passengers, Mr. A, who is the only one seriously injured and unconscious, is highly likely to have been sitting in the front passenger seat, which experienced a strong impact.

He continued, “Considering the impact areas and the interior and exterior damage and deformation of the vehicle, the driver’s seat and rear seat passengers, where interior damage and deformation were minor, are judged to have a relatively low risk of injury. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Mr. A, who was most severely injured, was driving.”

He also pointed out, “Looking at photos of Mr. A’s body, there is a compression mark on the right shoulder resembling a seatbelt. Among the passengers, only Mr. A’s jumper was torn by external force, and the bloodstains on his T-shirt are direct evidence of collision and injury.”

He added, “Mr. A was the only occupant to suffer fatal injuries to the face, head, and chest. Considering this, it is judged that Mr. A was likely seated in the front passenger seat at the time of the accident.”

Engineer Yoon also refuted the first forensic results from the National Forensic Service.

He said, “The National Forensic Service presumed Mr. B, another passenger, to be the front passenger because fibers attached to the friction marks on the front passenger seatbelt were similar to fibers from Mr. B’s clothes, and slippers were stuck under the front passenger seat. However, this assessment did not consider the correlation between the vehicle’s interior and exterior damage and the passengers’ injuries at all.”

The scene of a vehicle involved in a traffic accident caused by teenage drivers on June 20. Photo by a reader.

The family is outraged, claiming the investigation is inadequate, as the police have not requested bloodstain or fingerprint analysis from the National Forensic Service.

Mr. A’s father said, “The other vehicle’s owner said he personally watched high-definition CCTV footage near the accident site at the police station, but the police keep saying there is no CCTV and that other footage is of poor quality. During the first investigation, they even told us to find out where the CCTV cameras are installed.”

He added, “The National Forensic Service said that if my son had been in the front passenger seat, there should have been genetic traces such as bloodstains or hair on the door frame or curtain airbag, but there were none. My son suffered severe head and facial injuries, so if there is no trace anywhere inside the vehicle, what on earth happened?”

He continued, “A driver switch like something out of a movie has happened in reality. Please conduct a transparent and thorough investigation to clear this injustice.”

Meanwhile, at around 4:25 a.m. on June 20, in Pungam-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, a vehicle carrying five teenage youths crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming vehicle.

As a result of the accident, Mr. A suffered a severe head injury and underwent emergency surgery but remains unconscious. The other four passengers have identified Mr. A as the driver.

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