Cha Mo (68), the driver responsible for the "Seoul City Hall Station Wrong-Way Driving Disaster" that resulted in 14 casualties, denied the charges at his first trial, stating, "I did not press the accelerator pedal."
On the morning of the 11th, Judge Lee Chun-geun of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1 presided over Cha's first hearing on charges including violation of the Traffic Accident Processing Act (causing death).
On this day, Cha's defense attorney argued, "Although the defendant did not press the accelerator pedal at the time of the incident, the car accelerated due to another cause, and despite pressing the brake pedal, braking did not occur."
He added, "Even if it is true, as stated in the indictment, that there was no prior action such as driving in the wrong direction or sounding the horn, Cha cannot be held liable for negligence."
The prosecution requested witnesses including employees from the National Forensic Service and Hyundai Motor Company to determine whether the brakes of the offending vehicle were electronic or hydraulic.
Driver Cha, the perpetrator of the wrong-way driving accident at Seoul City Hall Station that resulted in 9 deaths. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The court concluded the hearing and scheduled the second trial for November 13.
According to the prosecution, on July 1 at around 9:26 p.m., Cha is accused of driving out of the underground parking lot of the Westin Chosun Hotel near City Hall Station, driving in the wrong direction, and crashing onto the sidewalk, resulting in 9 deaths and 5 injuries.
Cha has consistently claimed sudden unintended acceleration, but the prosecution has determined the accident was caused by mistakenly pressing the accelerator pedal.
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