Citizens Save Two-Year-Old Son and Mother... Lift Overturned Vehicle

Citizens in India Jumped In to Help

In downtown Seoul, when a vehicle overturned due to a rear-end collision, citizens joined forces to rescue the occupants. The vehicle was carrying a mother and her two-year-old son.

On the 14th, SBS reported that the day before, near the Independence Gate Station intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a vehicle driven by a driver in their 70s collided with the car in front while waiting at a traffic light. It was reported that the driver accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.

[Photo by SBS News Screen Capture]

The damaged vehicle flipped once and then fell on its side. Footage of the incident shows that immediately after the accident, pedestrians on the sidewalk rushed over and began lifting the vehicle. Drivers of other cars approaching from behind quickly pulled over to the shoulder and ran toward the accident vehicle.

Within moments, about ten citizens gathered to carefully lift the overturned vehicle and rescue the occupants. Thanks to the swift rescue, the mother and her two-year-old son inside the car were unharmed.

An eyewitness said, “There was a loud bang, and the car flipped over. Within seconds, one or two passersby nearby suddenly started running over.”

In the accident, a total of six people, including those in the vehicle carrying the mother and child and the car in front, were injured. However, thanks to the quick response of the citizens, there were no reports of serious injuries. Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as “Amazing citizens, thank you,” and “This is humanity.” There were also calls for “additional measures regarding elderly drivers.”

Meanwhile, over the past three years, the overall traffic accident rate in South Korea has decreased by 6%, while traffic accidents involving drivers aged 65 and older have increased by 11%. In particular, in Seoul, the accident rate for elderly drivers aged 70 and above is 1.7 times higher than that of other age groups.

According to statistics from the National Police Agency, accidents caused by elderly drivers aged 65 and older account for the highest proportion at 26.8% of all fatal traffic accidents. The fatality rate for drivers aged 75 and older is 2.4%, for those 80 and older is 4.7%, and for those 85 and older is 7.3%, showing a sharp increase in fatality rates with age.