"No skid marks at the accident scene"
Police confirm one additional minor injury
Regarding the large-scale traffic accident at Seoul City Hall Station that resulted in 16 casualties, the police have obtained a statement from the passenger, the wife Kim Mo-ssi, suspecting sudden unintended acceleration. The police requested the National Forensic Service to analyze the black box and Event Data Recorder (EDR) to determine whether sudden unintended acceleration was involved, which is a key issue in this case.
A representative from the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul stated on the 3rd, "The wife, who was the passenger, testified during a witness investigation the previous day that it seemed the braking system did not operate," adding, "Based on her statement, it was judged that the passenger believes the cause of the accident was sudden unintended acceleration."
Jung Yong-woo, Head of the Traffic Division at Namdaemun Police Station, is answering questions from the press after briefing on the wrong-way traffic accident near City Hall Station that occurred on the evening of the 1st, at Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul on the morning of the 3rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The official further explained, "We requested the National Forensic Service to analyze the accident vehicle and the EDR data regarding sudden unintended acceleration and the operation of the braking system," adding, "The vehicle's maximum speed and other data will be important clues in the investigation."
However, the police said that no skid marks were found at the accident scene. Skid marks refer to traces left when brakes are applied. A police official added, "Only traces of fuel were found at the scene."
In particular, the police believe that no unusual sudden events occurred to the driver Cha Mo-ssi (68) before the accident. A police official said, "The offending vehicle began accelerating near the entrance of the underground parking lot," but also confirmed, "No special situations such as vehicle collisions occurred to the suspect before the accident."
Earlier, at around 9:27 p.m. on the 1st, a Genesis vehicle crashed onto the sidewalk at an intersection near Seoul City Hall Station. The vehicle struck a BMW and a Sonata consecutively before hitting pedestrians. Because this occurred during the time when citizens were leaving work, finishing dinner, and heading home, a large number of casualties resulted.
The total number of casualties from this accident has risen to 16. There are 9 fatalities, and the number of injured increased by one from 6 to 7. The police stated, "The additional injured person was not at the scene immediately after the accident as they accompanied another victim to the hospital and is considered to have minor injuries."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
