'Where Did You Go Saying You Were Getting Vaccinated?' Text from Mother on Day of Seolleung Station Accident... Plea to "Stop the Malicious Comments"

On the afternoon of the 27th, chrysanthemums and other flowers commemorating a motorcyclist who died the previous day were placed on a road near Seolleung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A delivery motorcycle rider was fatally struck by a large cargo truck near Seolleung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and the bereaved family has expressed distress over malicious comments.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation General Service Labor Union issued a statement on the 28th, saying, "It has been three days since the motorcycle rider accident at Seolleung Station. However, the bereaved family finds it difficult to grieve freely. They cannot even watch the news because of the malicious comments."

According to the statement, the deceased’s mother closely followed news related to riders because her son was a delivery rider.

Whenever she heard about numerous delivery accidents on the news, she would call her son, and she also called him after seeing the Seolleung Station accident.

However, the call did not connect, and although she sent text messages afterward, there was no reply.

The Service Union stated, "This is exactly how the mother of the rider involved in the Seolleung Station accident learned about her child’s death."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation General Service Union disclosed the phone calls and message history that a mother sent to her son, a rider, on the day of the rider's death after learning about the accident through the news.
[Photo by Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation General Service Union]

Along with this, the Service Union released the bereaved family’s phone call records and KakaoTalk messages from the day of the accident. The outgoing call records show that the mother attempted to call her son every hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Additionally, the mother left a message for her son, who did not answer the phone, saying, "You’re not picking up. If you’re getting vaccinated tomorrow, where did you go?" However, her son had already died after being hit by a cargo truck while delivering earlier that morning.

The deceased’s younger sibling told Seoul Economy on the same day, "(My brother) was born in 1979 and lived diligently. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his workplace closed, so he was resting, but although delivery was tough, he started in March this year because it was a way to earn money." He added, "We were very worried and kept telling him not to do it, saying it was ominous. Each time, he said he was fine. He also said he would be careful, but in the end, this accident happened."

He continued, "We cannot watch the news about my brother," and said, "There are so many malicious comments about the deceased around us that we are suffering." He also emphasized that his brother was not inexperienced at riding a motorcycle, stating, "He was never contacted due to an accident before."

Meanwhile, the Service Union announced, "We will take steps to establish a 'Delivery Motorcycle Mutual Aid Association,' which is the minimum safety net for riders." The union explained, "Through the mutual aid association, we will be responsible for providing affordable insurance premiums, mandatory paid insurance, safety education, and delivery training."

They added, "We will improve the system ourselves and make self-purification efforts to ensure that accidents like this never happen again."

Earlier, at around 11:30 a.m. on the 26th, a delivery motorcycle rider in his 40s, identified as Mr. A, was fatally struck by a 23-ton cargo truck at an intersection near Seolleung Station.

The Suseo Police Station in Seoul reported that Mr. A was waiting for a signal right in front of the cargo truck when he was hit and died.

According to the police investigation, the cargo truck driver in his 60s stated that he started moving when the signal changed, but because the driver’s seat was high, he did not see the motorcycle in front.

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