Police: No Skid Marks at Stopping Point in City Hall Station Accident (Comprehensive)

"Acceleration Starts Immediately After Leaving Hotel"
Co-passenger Witness Investigation... Physical Evidence Secured
Black Box and CCTV Sent to National Forensic Service

At the scene of the wrong-way driving accident near Seoul City Hall Station, it was confirmed that no skid marks were found from the offending vehicle.

On the morning of the 2nd, police are controlling traffic at the intersection near Seoul City Hall Station where a major traffic accident occurred the previous day.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Skid marks refer to the phenomenon where tires melt and adhere to the road surface due to friction when the brakes are applied at maximum deceleration to stop, and they are considered one of the clues that can support whether sudden unintended acceleration occurred.

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official told reporters on the 3rd that when asked, "Were no skid marks found?" the answer was "Yes."

The official said, "It is true that skid marks can be a clue to sudden unintended acceleration," but added, "Since the investigation is not being conducted with any particular direction, objective facts and the establishment of the substance need to be confirmed through the Event Data Recorder (EDR), black box footage, and so on."

The fact that no skid marks were found throughout the wrong-way driving section means that the driver of the offending vehicle, Mr. Cha (68), either did not step on the brake or stepped on it lightly, not attempting an emergency stop.

The police believe that since the brakes were engaged at the last stopping point during the accident and the vehicle stopped on its own, the likelihood of a brake malfunction is low. Therefore, it can be inferred that Mr. Cha did not step on the brake during the wrong-way driving section before stopping, and sudden unintended acceleration was unlikely.

Additionally, it was confirmed that the accident vehicle accelerated just before entering the road after exiting the hotel parking lot.

A Namdaemun Police Station official said at a briefing that day, "It was confirmed that the accident vehicle accelerated from the entrance with a slight curb after exiting the basement level 1 parking lot of the hotel."

When asked about the maximum speed, the official said, "It is difficult to answer as the investigation is still ongoing."

The Westin Chosun Hotel's underground parking lot is structured so that after passing through the parking barrier, vehicles ascend a gentle slope to the ground level and then pass over a rubber speed bump just before exiting. It is explained that the speeding occurred starting from this speed bump.

The police are accelerating the investigation into the cause of the accident by starting key witness interviews and securing physical evidence.

Six pieces of evidence, including black box footage from the Genesis G80 (the accident vehicle), the BMW and Sonata (the victim vehicles), and CCTV footage from the hotel and the accident scene vicinity, were sent to the National Forensic Service (NFS) the previous day for detailed examination and appraisal.

EDR data, which records the accelerator and brake operation status of the G80, was also sent to the NFS for detailed analysis.

Although NFS detailed analysis usually takes one to two months, it is expected that the analysis period may be shortened considering the seriousness of the case.

It is reported that during the police's own analysis of the EDR records, they initially judged that driver Mr. Cha pressed the accelerator strongly just before the accident.

The offending driver, Mr. Cha, who suffered fractured ribs in the accident, is currently hospitalized. The police are coordinating the formal investigation schedule as his health condition is still not good.

Mrs. A, the wife in her 60s who was in the car with Mr. Cha at the time of the accident, was summoned to the police station the previous day and underwent her first investigation as a witness.

The police said, "Mrs. A gave an initial statement suggesting that 'the brakes or braking system did not seem to work,'" and added, "We are preparing to investigate the owners of the victim vehicles, the BMW and Sonata, as well."

However, regarding rumors of marital conflict, the police firmly denied, saying, "That is completely untrue."

Meanwhile, the police initially announced at the briefing that "skid marks were secured at the last accident point and the stopping point," but just one hour later, they corrected themselves, saying, "Those were not skid marks but traces of oil. It was a mistake." It was a simple oil trace caused by antifreeze or engine oil coolant flowing due to the impact of the collision that was mistaken for skid marks.

A police official said, "During the initial response and evidence collection at the scene, we considered the possibility of skid marks, but in the final confirmation process, we judged it to be traces of evaporated oil. However, while briefing in a tense state, we unintentionally misspoke," and apologized, saying, "We apologize for causing confusion."