Eight-Car Pileup Caused by Unlicensed Driver
Court: "Even If Mentally Impaired, No Sentence Reduction"
A woman in her 20s who caused an eight-car pileup while driving without a license in the middle of Gangnam, Seoul, has been sentenced to prison in the first trial.
A woman in her 20s who drove without a license and drove in the wrong direction after an accident in Gangnam, Seoul, is entering the Seoul Central District Court on November 4, 2024, to undergo a pretrial detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News
On May 29, Judge Jang Sujin of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 7 sentenced Kim, who was charged with causing injury while fleeing under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violating the Road Traffic Act (driving without a license), to three years and six months in prison.
The court stated, "She fled the scene after the initial accident, and a total of 10 people were injured in the subsequent collisions, making this a serious case. Driving under the influence of drugs is a dangerous crime that can endanger not only one's own life but also the lives of others. Moreover, the defendant drove under the influence of drugs despite never having obtained a license."
The court continued, "The defendant claims that she was in a state of diminished mental capacity due to drug-induced psychotic disorder at the time, but her judgment was only partially impaired by impulsivity, self-control issues, and depression. It cannot be said that her ability to distinguish right from wrong or make decisions was significantly diminished." The court added, "Even if she were considered to have diminished mental capacity, we would not reduce her sentence."
On November 2 last year, at around 1 p.m., Kim struck a mother who was pushing a stroller with her child on a side street in Geoyeo-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, and fled the scene. While fleeing, she crashed into seven vehicles in succession at the intersection near Kukkiwon in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, on Teheran-ro heading toward Exit 12 of Gangnam Station, and drove in the wrong direction. She was subsequently arrested and indicted.
During the police investigation, Kim stated that she had taken tranquilizers before driving. A forensic analysis by the National Forensic Service confirmed the presence of psychiatric tranquilizer substances in her system.
During the trial, Kim argued that she was in a state of diminished mental capacity due to the effects of the drugs at the time of the accident. Her attorney stated, "We wish to assert that the defendant was in a state of diminished mental capacity and unable to make normal judgments at the time of the accident. We will do our best to seek forgiveness from the many victims and submit settlement agreements." Kim also said, "I am sorry that my judgment was impaired due to the drugs."
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