Bus Driver Sentenced to 5 Years in First Trial for Causing Death of Mother Escorting Child to School

Bus Driver Who Hit Mother and Daughter While Using Cell Phone
Court Sentences 5 Years in First Trial

A bus driver who was indicted for hitting and killing a mother who was taking her daughter to school while violating a traffic signal in a school zone was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial.

Mother B, who was hit and killed by an intercity bus while taking her daughter to daycare.
Photo by Channel A News

On the 25th, the Criminal Division 11 of Uijeongbu District Court (Chief Judge Oh Chang-seop) announced that it sentenced Mr. A, a bus driver in his 60s who was detained and indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (injury in a school zone), to five years in prison.

Earlier, Mr. A was accused of hitting a woman in her 50s, Ms. B, and her elementary school daughter with a bus around 8:55 a.m. on December 4 last year on a six-lane road in Jangam-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi Province, while they were crossing a crosswalk. Ms. B was taken to a nearby hospital but ultimately passed away. The kindergarten-aged child was also injured and required treatment.

It was determined that Mr. A caused the accident by running a red light and driving straight in a school zone. In his police statement, he said, "On the day of the incident, I received an urgent call from a friend, and the accident happened while I was trying to end the call."

The court stated, "The location of the traffic accident is a road that the defendant passes daily by bus, and he was fully aware that it was a school zone. He also knew that the incident occurred in the morning, a time when children are going to school. Nevertheless, the defendant used his mobile phone and failed to pay attention to the front, causing the victim's death and serious injury to her child."

It added, "The victim's child is undergoing treatment due to extreme psychological shock, and the victim's family is demanding severe punishment. However, considering that the defendant is remorseful, did not exceed the speed limit, has no prior record exceeding fines, and is covered by driver insurance which is expected to provide some compensation to the bereaved family, the sentence was determined after considering various circumstances."