Middle School Student Dies Helping Mom with Delivery... Driver Violated Signal and Speed Limit

Accident Caused by Speeding Through Yellow Light

In June, a middle school boy died in a traffic accident while helping his mother with parcel delivery, and the driver responsible for the accident was referred to the prosecution without detention.

On the 7th, the Wonju Police Station in Gangwon announced that they had sent Mr. A, in his 60s, to the prosecution without detention the previous day on charges of causing death under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling.

Traffic accident at Gwangteo Intersection, Wonju City. [Image provided by Gangwon-do Fire Headquarters]

Mr. A collided with a 1-ton truck making a left turn at the intersection on the opposite side after running a red light at around 6:40 a.m. on June 5th at the Gwangteo Intersection in Sajeri, Heungeop-myeon, Wonju City. As a result of the accident, Mr. B (16), who was riding in the passenger seat of the truck, died. It is known that Mr. B was involved in the accident while accompanying his mother to help with her delivery work on a discretionary holiday.

According to the investigation, the speed of Mr. A’s vehicle at the time was found to have exceeded the speed limit of 80 km/h. Mr. A reportedly stated during the police investigation that he passed the point during a yellow light.

The National Forensic Service (NFS) analyzed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and concluded that Mr. A was driving at about 90 km/h during the yellow light. They conveyed to the police that the accident was caused by a traffic signal violation.

Based on this, the police judged that Mr. A entered the road by crossing the "Yellow Zone." The Yellow Zone is an area painted in a conspicuous yellow color to prevent tailgating at intersections by prohibiting stopping.

Meanwhile, Ms. C, in her 30s, the mother of Mr. B who was driving the delivery truck, was found to have no fault, and the case was closed without charges.