"Slow Down and Stop Precisely"... Witnesses and Experts at Sicheong Station Accident Say "Low Possibility of Sudden Acceleration"

"Stopped after driving fast enough to damage 4 guardrails"

A major wrong-way traffic accident occurred at an intersection near City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, resulting in 9 deaths and 4 injuries. The driver of the offending vehicle claimed a 'sudden unintended acceleration,' but witnesses and experts at the scene expressed opinions that it did not seem to be sudden unintended acceleration.

A witness, Mr. A, who identified himself as the owner of a nearby store at the accident scene, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 2nd and said, "I heard a loud noise and went out to the scene of the incident," adding, "At first, there were many cars on the road, so I didn't know where the offending vehicle was, but later I saw that the offending vehicle was stopped about 30 to 40 meters beyond the guardrail."

On the night of the 1st, police officers and rescue workers are managing the scene at an intersection near Seoul City Hall Station where a major traffic accident occurred. Photo by Yonhap News

The previous day, around 9:27 p.m., at an intersection near Exit 7 of City Hall Station, a passenger car drove the wrong way, rushed onto the sidewalk, broke through the median, and struck pedestrians, causing a major traffic accident that killed 9 people and injured 4. The police arrested Mr. B, a man in his 60s who was the driver of the offending vehicle, at the scene and confirmed that there was no suspicion of drunk driving. It is currently reported that Mr. B is claiming 'sudden unintended acceleration' as the cause of the accident.

However, some witnesses to the accident have testified that it was 'not sudden unintended acceleration.' Mr. A also expressed skepticism about the 'sudden unintended acceleration' claim. He said, "This is a one-way street. But if it were sudden unintended acceleration, the brakes wouldn't have worked and the car would have gone straight, but the offending vehicle came the opposite way," adding, "Then it broke through the guardrail and came toward the crosswalk. I wonder how it got that far."

Mr. A also said, "If it came from the Westin Chosun Hotel, it seems to have driven the wrong way for more than 200 meters," and added, "It pushed through more than four railings, and even pushed a motorcycle in front of the store. The speed was definitely not normal."

On the night of the 1st, police are controlling the scene at the intersection near Seoul City Hall Station where a major traffic accident occurred. Photo by Yonhap News

Experts also explained that the claim of sudden unintended acceleration seems unlikely. Professor Yeom Geon-ung of the Department of Police and Fire Administration at U1 University said on the same radio show, "Usually, sudden unintended acceleration vehicles accelerate due to electronic device malfunctions. There are almost no cases where the vehicle normalizes and the speed decreases or the driver regains control of the vehicle," adding, "But looking at the footage from the incident, the offending vehicle gradually slowed down and came to a precise stop."

He continued, "There are various possibilities, but considering that the vehicle entered by driving the wrong way, it is possible that a panicked driver confused the brake pedal with the accelerator pedal and sped up in a state of panic," adding, "Also, since there was a passenger, there could be other possibilities such as the driver entering the vehicle in anger due to a quarrel with the passenger."