Vehicle Rams into Crowd at Seoul Mokdong Kkaebi Market... 1 Dead, 12 Injured (Comprehensive Report 2)

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A car driven by a man in his 70s crashed into a traditional market in Seoul, resulting in one death and more than 10 injuries.

The Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul announced on the 31st that they have booked the driver, Mr. A (74), who caused one death and 12 injuries at the Kkaebi Market in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, on charges of violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling (traffic accident causing death).

Yonhap News

According to the police, at around 3:53 p.m. that day, Mr. A was driving a 2007 model Equus sedan, heading straight from Yangdong Middle School toward the market. He accelerated to overtake a bus and then crashed directly into the market. Upon entering the market, the car hit pedestrians and store signs with its front bumper.

As a result of the accident, a man in his 40s who was working at a fruit shop was transported to the hospital unconscious and was pronounced dead at 9:46 p.m. Consequently, the police changed Mr. A’s charge from causing injury to causing death under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling.

There were also 12 injured people, including 3 seriously injured and 9 with minor injuries. The driver was not seriously hurt, and it is known that there were no passengers.

Alcohol and drug tests conducted by the police at the scene showed negative results for Mr. A.

During the police investigation, Mr. A stated, "The car had been parked in the garage for a long time, so I was worried about the battery being dead and took it out after a long time." He added, "I accelerated to avoid the bus ahead, and I pressed the brake in front of the market stalls, but I don’t remember well after that." It is known that he did not claim sudden unintended acceleration.

The police believe that the rear brakes and other brakes were functioning normally just before the car hit the fruit shop.

The police plan to investigate the specific circumstances of the accident, including the speed of Mr. A’s car at the time of the crash, based on CCTV footage and other evidence.

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