40s abandon overturned Benz and flee, appear after 5 days saying "Not drunk"

Did Not Return Home for 5 Days After Accident and Fled
"Claimed to Have Caused Accident Due to Sleeping Pills"

A man in his 40s who abandoned his car and fled after crashing a Mercedes passenger car into a streetlight turned himself in to the police five days later. He denied drunk driving, saying, "I took more sleeping pills than usual."

On the 18th, Yonhap News reported that Mr. A, a man in his 40s who fled after crashing a Mercedes into a streetlight on the sidewalk at the entrance intersection of Haeundae-gu Office in U-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan on the 13th, turned himself in to the police on the 17th, five days after the accident.

On the 13th, a Mercedes-Benz passenger car heading toward the district office collided with a streetlight and overturned at Eoguisamgeori near Haeundae District Office in Busan. [Image source: Provided by Haeundae Police Station, Yonhap News Agency]

At the time of the accident, Mr. A's passenger car was accelerating when it hit a streetlight on the sidewalk, spun once, and completely overturned. Mr. A left his mobile phone and wallet in the crashed vehicle, got out, and fled by taking a nearby taxi. The police visited Mr. A's residence twice on the day of the accident but found him absent. It is known that Mr. A avoided returning home and evaded police pursuit during that time, and the police persuaded him through a friend who owned the vehicle Mr. A used to flee.

Eventually, Mr. A voluntarily visited the police station and turned himself in around 3:30 p.m. on the 17th. During the police investigation, he stated, "I did not drive under the influence," and "I took more sleeping pills than usual and was drowsy, which caused the accident, but I fled because I was afraid of being punished." However, the police reportedly secured CCTV footage showing Mr. A leaving a bar located in Haeundae-gu just before the accident.

The police initially booked Mr. A on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (failure to take action after an accident) and plan to apply additional charges if it is confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol or prohibited drugs. They are also conducting inquiries targeting bar employees and investigating the bar's CCTV to determine whether Mr. A drank alcohol just before the accident. Additionally, the police have requested the National Forensic Service to analyze the components of the sleeping pills Mr. A reportedly took before the accident.

Meanwhile, following singer Kim Ho-jung's drunk hit-and-run incident, cases of drunk driving accidents followed by fleeing the scene have been occurring repeatedly. On the morning of the 14th in Busan, a driver in his 30s fled after hitting a streetlight but was caught by the police; he showed a blood alcohol level high enough to warrant license cancellation. Earlier, on the 12th, former soccer player Mr. B (35) was urgently arrested after causing a traffic accident and fleeing. Mr. B is charged with hitting a roadside tree and transformer on the sidewalk while driving in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul around 6:06 a.m. on the 12th (violation of the Road Traffic Act for failure to take action after an accident). The police later urgently arrested him at his residence. Mr. B tested positive on a breathalyzer but denies the charges, and the police conducted a blood test to request an examination by the National Forensic Service.