High School Student Seriously Injured Diving in Valley Files 200 Million Won Lawsuit Against City...

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A high school student who was seriously injured while diving in a valley in Palgongsan, Daegu, lost a lawsuit seeking damages worth around 200 million won against Daegu City. On the 21st, Judge Park Sang-in of the 23rd Civil Division at Daegu District Court announced that the court dismissed the claim filed by A (18), who was injured while diving in the Palgongsan valley, against Daegu City, the managing authority, seeking compensation.

The accident occurred around 2 p.m. on July 20, 2022, in a valley within Palgongsan Natural Park in Dohak-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu. At the time, A was enjoying water activities with friends in the valley. While diving, he struck his chest and abdomen forcefully against a rock beneath the water surface, resulting in severe injuries including a ruptured pancreas. He was transported by 119 emergency services to a university hospital emergency room and underwent a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy on the same day.

A high school student who was seriously injured while diving in the valley of Palgongsan, Daegu, lost a lawsuit seeking damages worth 200 million won against Daegu City. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

A’s side filed a lawsuit demanding Daegu City pay over 200 million won in damages, including lost income, medical expenses, and consolation money due to the accident. They argued that since the valley had a high risk of water-related accidents, Daegu City, as the managing authority, should have faithfully fulfilled its duty to prevent accidents by posting signs such as ‘No Diving’.

However, the court did not accept this claim, stating that Daegu City had fulfilled the ‘generally required level of duty.’ The court noted that banners warning of dangers such as ‘No cooking, swimming, or camping allowed’ were installed at multiple locations including the entrance to Palgongsan Park and nearby roads, and ruled that “the plaintiff likely could have sufficiently recognized the content of the banners while moving toward the accident site.”

Furthermore, the court added, “At the time of the accident, A was a 16-year-old high school sophomore capable of recognizing the dangers at the accident site, and he could visually confirm the presence of multiple rocks below the stream, so it appears he was able to perceive the risk of the accident.”

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