21 Traffic Accidents in One Year... Taxi Driver Sentenced to Prison for Claiming 100 Million Won in Insurance Money

17 Cases of the Same Type of Traffic Accident
Court: "Bad Nature of Crime and Denial of Fault"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A taxi driver who deliberately caused traffic accidents and claimed 100 million won in insurance money was sentenced to prison.

On the 22nd, Judge Park Young-soo of the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 11 announced that he sentenced Mr. A, a taxi driver in his 40s indicted for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, to 1 year and 2 months in prison.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of receiving about 96.3 million won in insurance money from insurance companies and the Taxi Mutual Aid Association over 21 occasions during approximately one year from August 2019 to July 2020.

Judge Park pointed out that among the total 21 accidents, 17 had the same accident type and vehicle damage location, and that the defendant repeatedly caused accidents and hospitalizations in very short intervals.

The court explained the sentencing reasons, stating, "Insurance fraud crimes impose damage on many innocent policyholders and have a very bad nature as they can seriously endanger others' lives. Despite the numerous accidents and the large amount of money defrauded, and the damage not being restored, the defendant does not admit wrongdoing."

Judge Park judged, "Even considering that he is a taxi driver, the case is so unusual that it cannot be seen as accidental."

In fact, all 17 accidents with the same type occurred at intersections with two or more left-turn lanes.

When Mr. A’s vehicle was turning left following the second lane, a vehicle turning left in the first lane ahead entered the opposite side of the intersection and then changed lanes to the right, causing the collision.

Also, according to the black box analysis by the National Forensic Service (NFS) at the time of the accident, it generally takes an average of 0.8 seconds to recognize and react to an object appearing within the field of view, but Mr. A showed a slow reaction time of 1.3 to 2.4 seconds.

Mr. A neither decelerated to avoid the collision nor did he slow down; instead, he accelerated as the other vehicle crossed the guide line and followed closely.

It was also disadvantageous that Mr. A was hospitalized at a specific Korean medicine clinic for 191 days over the course of one year, and even while hospitalized, his mobile phone base station location showed he was traveling around various parts of Seoul and continuing taxi operations.