A 50-Year-Old Who Hit and Killed a Pedestrian Without a License and Made Insensitive Remarks Saying "I Was Unlucky"... Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A man in his 50s who, while driving without a license, hit and killed a woman in her 20s crossing a crosswalk and then arrogantly said "I was just unlucky" was sentenced to three years in prison. It was revealed that this man had used drugs a week before the accident, but the court judged that it was not directly related to the time of driving.

The Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Park Jinyoung) sentenced Jang (53) to three years in prison on the 7th on charges including violation of the Narcotics Control Act.

Jang was prosecuted for hitting and killing A (27) while driving a van without a license around 7:40 p.m. on December 21 last year in Geunhwa-dong, Chuncheon City.

After the accident, Jang reportedly shouted or spoke incoherently, saying things like "Ugh, I was unlucky," and "I was just unlucky."

The police suspected drug use as Jang, who had a prior drug record, was incoherent during the investigation, and after requesting a urine test from the National Forensic Service, which came back positive, Jang confessed to having used drugs six days earlier.

The prosecution initially indicted Jang on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, driving without a license, and causing death by negligence under the Special Act on the Treatment of Traffic Accidents.

However, during the trial, the charge was changed to 'dangerous driving causing death' under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. Dangerous driving causing death refers to a crime where a driver causes a victim's death while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, making normal driving difficult. The prosecution demanded a 12-year prison sentence, arguing that Jang was unable to drive normally due to drugs at the time of the accident.

Police officers who responded to the scene testified in court that Jang sat on the floor shouting loudly, "Ugh, I was unlucky, I was just unlucky," that he dozed off throughout the investigation despite causing a fatal accident, and that his bloodshot eyes and slurred speech seemed unusual.

The court acknowledged that Jang caused the accident while driving without a license, resulting in the victim's death, but did not accept the prosecution's claim that normal driving was impossible due to drugs.

The court stated, "There is no evidence that Jang used drugs immediately before the accident, and considering that there were no problems during long-distance driving before the accident, it cannot be concluded that he was driving under the influence of drugs."

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