Female university student who died after jumping, mistaken for 'kidnap taxi'... Court's ruling

Taxi Driver and SUV Driver Both Acquitted
Communication Error During Destination Confirmation Process

In relation to the accident last March in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, where a female college student jumped out of a taxi and was hit and killed by a following SUV, both the taxi driver in his 60s and the driver in his 40s were acquitted.

The Daegu District Court Pohang Branch Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Song Byeonghun) on the 28th acquitted taxi driver A (66) and SUV driver B (43), who were tried on charges of violating the Special Act on Traffic Accidents (causing death).

A was tried on charges of causing the death of a woman in her 20s, C, who was a passenger, after she suddenly jumped out of his taxi on Yeongilman-daero, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, at around 8:51 p.m. on March 4 last year.

At around 8:46 p.m. on the same day, A picked up C as a passenger at KTX Pohang Station, but misunderstood her words and drove the taxi to the wrong destination.

The taxi’s black box secured by the police recorded a conversation where C said to A, "Please go to the dormitory of ○○ University," and A misheard and asked, "Dormitory of △△ University?" to which C replied, "Yes."

When the taxi headed in the wrong direction, C asked A to "let me get off." However, A, who had been suffering from hearing loss, did not hear this and continued driving the taxi, causing C, who misunderstood the situation as a kidnapping, to jump out of the moving taxi. C was then hit and killed by an SUV following in the second lane.

Taxi driver A had hearing problems but neglected medical checkups, and SUV driver B was indicted on charges including failure to keep a proper lookout.

The court ruled, "A could not have foreseen that the passenger would jump out, and B likely found it difficult to avoid the accident," and acquitted both.

However, the prosecution immediately appealed, stating, "This was an accident that could have been prevented if the drivers had fulfilled their duty of care properly."