The truck driver responsible for the tragic incident in the Gwangju school zone has been sent to the prosecution.
On the 24th, the Gwangju Northern Police Station announced that they had sent 50-year-old Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of causing death and injury to three family members including a 2-year-old girl in a school zone (violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes), to the prosecution.
Mr. A is accused of hitting three siblings and their mother with a truck at a crosswalk without traffic lights near an apartment complex in Unam-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, at around 8:45 a.m. on the 17th.
As a result of the accident, the 2-year-old girl in the stroller died, and her 4-year-old older sister and their mother in her 30s were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at a hospital. The youngest younger brother, who was also in the stroller, was not seriously injured.
Mr. A had stopped his vehicle in front of the crosswalk within the school zone due to traffic congestion and started moving after seeing the traffic light 40 meters ahead turn green. At that time, he failed to notice the family of three siblings waiting for vehicles to pass on the opposite side of the crosswalk and caused the accident.
In the police investigation, Mr. A stated, "I did not see the victim’s family in front of the vehicle."
Based on nearby CCTV footage and witness statements, the police judged that the accident was caused by negligence such as failure to keep watch ahead, and sent Mr. A to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.
Additionally, the charge of causing the death of the 2-year-old girl in the school zone was applied under the so-called Min-sik Law, which is part of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.
The police also sent summonses to four vehicles that passed on the opposite road at the time of the accident for violations such as failing to stop first at the crosswalk.
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