Electric Bus Without Driver Speeds Downhill... Collides with 2 Vehicles at Intersection

Accident While Checking Power Outage on Bus
No Additional Casualties as No Passengers Were Onboard

In Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, an electric bus that had briefly stopped on a downhill slope slipped while the driver was off the vehicle, colliding with two other vehicles.

Electric Bus Downhill Accident. [Image Source=Yonhap News·Provided by Reader]

On the 18th, Yonhap News reported, citing the Wonmi Police Station in Bucheon, that at 10:02 a.m. that day, an electric bus collided consecutively with a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and another city bus at an intersection on a road in Simgok-dong, Wonmi-gu. The electric bus entered the intersection despite a stop signal on the downhill slope, hit two other vehicles, and then came to a stop on its own. The electric bus driver stated, "The bus lost power, so I stopped by the roadside and briefly got off," adding, "While checking the auxiliary power at the rear, the bus slipped down the hill on its own." The bus slipped down while the driver was briefly off, entered the intersection despite the stop signal, causing the accident.

A witness to the accident, Mr. Yoo (42), said, "After the accident, I saw an elderly person running down the hill behind the electric bus, so at first, I thought he was a passenger who missed the bus," and added, "But it turned out to be the driver."

Due to the accident, the driver of the other city bus suffered a neck injury and was transported to the hospital by the 119 emergency medical team. Fortunately, there were no passengers on either bus, so no additional injuries were reported. The police are investigating the exact cause of the accident, including whether the electric bus had any mechanical issues.