Man in His 20s Denies Charges of Hit-and-Run Death of Sanitation Worker and Refusal of Breathalyzer Test

"Did Not Recognize the Accident and Requested Blood Sample"
Court to Conduct Sentencing Investigation Ex Officio

A sanitation worker in his 30s in Cheonan, Chungnam, lost his life after being hit by a drunk driving hit-and-run vehicle while collecting garbage. Photo by Cheonan Dongnam Fire Station

A man in his twenties who was put on trial for fleeing from police during a drunk driving crackdown and fatally striking a sanitation worker denied most of the charges against him.

On the 10th, the Cheonan Branch of Daejeon District Court, Criminal Division 5 Single Judge (Presiding Judge Ryu Bonggeun), held the first trial for Mr. A (26), who was indicted on charges including violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Hit-and-Run Resulting in Death).

At around 12:53 a.m. on the 7th, Mr. A fled after police responded to a report of a car stopped at an intersection in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. When officers knocked on the window, he attempted to escape and crashed into a garbage collection vehicle that was in operation. As a result of the accident, sanitation worker Mr. B died from hypovolemic shock, and another worker, Mr. C, sustained injuries requiring two weeks of treatment. Mr. A is accused of failing to take necessary measures following the accident.

Mr. A's attorney admitted to the charge of causing injury by dangerous driving but denied the charges of hit-and-run resulting in death, hit-and-run resulting in injury, and refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test.

The attorney stated, "At the time of the accident, the defendant was intoxicated and only recognized that a collision had occurred, not that an accident had taken place, so it cannot be said that he fled to avoid responsibility. Regarding the refusal to take a breathalyzer test, the defendant expressed willingness to provide a blood sample due to difficulty breathing from injuries sustained in the accident, but this was not accepted, so there was no intent to refuse."

The court determined that the consequences of the incident were serious and decided to conduct a sentencing investigation ex officio.