[Comprehensive] "If the patient dies, I take responsibility, hit me and go" Taxi driver blocking ambulance... 'Petition of grief' after losing mother

Photo by Cheong Wa Dae National Petition capture.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Park Hee-eun] A Blue House petition has been posted claiming that the transportation of a patient was delayed due to a taxi driver blocking an ambulance carrying an emergency patient in Seoul, ultimately resulting in the patient’s death. As of 2 p.m. on the 4th, the petition had garnered over 350,000 signatures. The police have launched an investigation into the matter.

According to the Blue House website on the 3rd, a petition titled "Please punish the taxi driver who blocked an ambulance with an emergency patient" was posted on the Blue House petition page the previous day.

The petitioner wrote, "On the 8th of last month at 3:15 p.m., my mother’s breathing was very shallow and she was in severe pain, so I called a private ambulance to take her to the emergency room," adding, "While heading to the hospital, a minor collision occurred when changing lanes from the second lane to the first lane with a commercial taxi."

The petitioner claimed, "The ambulance driver told the taxi driver, ‘There is an emergency patient, so I will take her to the hospital and then resolve the incident,’ but the taxi driver insisted that the incident had to be handled first."

He also explained the situation, saying, "The taxi driver spoke rudely, saying, ‘The accident that just happened has to be dealt with first. Where do you think you’re going? I will call 119 and send the patient to the hospital.’" The petitioner wrote that the taxi driver told the ambulance driver, "If that patient dies, I will take responsibility."

In fact, the black box footage of the accident scene provided by the petitioner recorded a man presumed to be the taxi driver saying things like, "If there’s been an accident, handle the accident first and then go," "Where do you think you’re just going? The black box is recording everything, so hit me and go," "You illegally turned on the siren. You’re not even an emergency patient but dangerously cut in," and "119 will arrive soon, so take that and go to the emergency room."

The petitioner continued, "The argument lasted about 10 minutes, and during that time another ambulance arrived and took my mother, but due to the hot weather, she went into shock, her pupils rolled upward, and she was unconscious," adding, "After many difficulties, we arrived at the emergency room, but my mother never opened her eyes and passed away within just five hours."

He appealed, saying, "We are waiting for (the taxi driver’s) punishment, but I hear the charge is only obstruction of business, and thinking that he will receive only a light punishment and be released breaks my heart," and "Blocking emergency vehicles must never happen. We must not lose precious golden time."

In a phone interview with a media outlet, petitioner A said, "My mother’s health had never suddenly deteriorated like this during the three years she was receiving treatment," and "On the day of the accident, it didn’t seem that serious at first, so I called a private ambulance instead of 119, but the stress caused by the taxi driver was probably the problem."

The police are investigating whether the death of A’s mother, who was in the ambulance, is related to the traffic accident. Accordingly, it is known that investigations of the parties involved in the incident are underway.