A Family Tragedy in Gwangju Children's Safety Zone... 2-Year-Old Girl Dies

At around 8:45 a.m. on the 17th, a 5-ton truck driven by a driver in his 50s, Mr. A, hit a family of four pedestrians at a crosswalk in a child protection zone in Unam-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. The photo shows the scene just before the accident. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 17th, another accident involving children occurred in a children's protection zone in Gwangju where a previous child traffic accident had taken place.

According to the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station, at around 8:45 a.m. that day, a 5-ton truck driven by a man in his 50s, Mr. A, struck a mother and her three daughters crossing the crosswalk in a children's protection zone at an apartment complex in Unam-dong, Buk-gu.

Police reported that Mr. A had stopped just before the crosswalk due to traffic congestion, and when the congestion cleared, he failed to notice the family and started moving the vehicle, causing the accident.

As a result of the accident, a 2-year-old child riding in a stroller died, and the child's older sister and mother, who were standing at the crosswalk, sustained serious injuries. The youngest daughter was also in the stroller but fortunately did not suffer major injuries.

The police have booked Mr. A under the "Min-sik Act" (Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes Act for causing death or injury) for causing a traffic accident in a children's protection zone and are investigating the exact circumstances.

This is the second fatal traffic accident at the same location this year. The children's protection zone where the accident occurred was also the site where a 7-year-old child was seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street in May.

Meanwhile, the 7-year-old child who was injured in the May accident reportedly witnessed the accident involving the mother and her three daughters on the 17th while returning to elementary school for the first time in about five months after recovery, accompanied by their grandfather. The grandfather, who witnessed the scene where the mother and three daughters were again involved in an accident at the same location where his grandson had been injured, reportedly covered his grandson's eyes and sat down, adding to the sorrow of the situation.

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