60s Man Claims Sudden Acceleration While Driving Granddaughter at 165km/h... Forensic Service Reached Different Conclusion

Accident with a New Car Less Than a Month Old
"Brake Pedal Did Not Work," Claim
Police Doubt Claim's Credibility... Investigating Fault

A driver in his 60s who rolled over a brand-new car that had been released less than a month ago while driving at high speed claimed sudden unintended acceleration. However, the National Forensic Service (NFS) reached a different conclusion.

According to the Haman Police Station in Gyeongnam on the 13th, the NFS recently sent a detailed forensic report to the police station stating that no particular defects were found in the vehicle involved in the rollover accident.

The above photo is not directly related to the article. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

Earlier, Mr. A, who was driving a Tucson sport utility vehicle (SUV), collided with a passenger car ahead at an intersection in Chilwon-eup, Haman-gun, around 1:10 p.m. on April 17. Afterward, the vehicle sped about 2.3 km, hit a local road traffic sign near Chilseo Interchange, and then overturned in a nearby field.

The NFS forensic results determined that the SUV’s speed was approximately 165 km/h at the time of collision with the traffic sign. Mr. A suffered broken ribs in the accident, and his granddaughter, who was also in the car, was injured.

Due to the initial collision and the impact with the traffic sign, six nearby vehicles were partially damaged. The overturned SUV was a brand-new car that had been released less than a month before the accident and was completely destroyed afterward.

After the accident, Mr. A told the police that “he pressed the brake pedal at the time, but it did not work,” claiming the vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration.

However, the NFS judged that it was highly likely the accelerator pedal was engaged just before the accident. Analysis of the event data recorder (EDR) and black box from the overturned vehicle found no record of the driver operating the brake. Surveillance CCTV near the accident scene also showed that the vehicle’s brake lights were not on at the time of the accident.

Based on these forensic results, the police consider Mr. A’s claim of sudden unintended acceleration to be of low credibility and plan to conduct further investigation into whether the driver was at fault.