12-Year Prison Sentence for Man in His 20s Who Ran Over and Killed Sanitation Worker

Court: "Severe Punishment Unavoidable to Deter Drunk Driving"

A man in his 20s who fled from the police and fatally struck a sanitation worker has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

On the 3rd, Judge Ryu Bonggeun of the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 5 sentenced Mr. A (26), who was indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Hit-and-run resulting in death), to 12 years in prison.

Mr. A fell asleep drunk in his car on a road in Cheonan at around 12:53 a.m. on August 7. When police responded to a report that a car was stopped and knocked on his window, he attempted to flee and crashed into a garbage collection truck that was in operation. As a result of the accident, sanitation worker Mr. B died from hypovolemic shock, and another sanitation worker, Mr. C, sustained injuries requiring two weeks of treatment. Mr. A is accused of failing to take necessary measures after the accident.

The court found Mr. A guilty of hit-and-run resulting in death, causing injury, and failure to take measures after the accident, as indicted by the prosecution, but acquitted him of refusing a breathalyzer test due to insufficient evidence.

The court stated, "The defendant, while so intoxicated that he could not walk properly, boldly drove and failed to provide aid, resulting in the victim's death. He recognized the accident, got out of the driver's seat, saw the victim collapsed, but fled without taking any action. This constitutes conditional intent."

However, the court added, "It is difficult to find objective circumstances showing that the defendant explicitly refused the breathalyzer test, such as turning his head away, refusing to blow, or holding his breath. Therefore, it is hard to conclude that he clearly intended to refuse the police's breathalyzer test."

The court also said, "Nothing can console the spirit of a young man in his 30s who collapsed in an instant while diligently working on his father's birthday. Strict punishment is inevitable to sound a warning against drunk driving."

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