High School Girl Unconscious for Over Four Months After Being Struck by Truck Wheel at Bus Stop... Driver Referred to Prosecution

High School Girl Remains Unconscious for Over 100 Days
Police: "Exact Cause of Accident Remains Unclear"

In Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, a high school girl who was struck by a wheel that detached from a large vehicle at a bus stop has remained unconscious for over 100 days since the accident, while the driver in his 30s has been referred to the prosecution.

On September 8, the Gwacheon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that at the end of last month, they had referred dump truck driver Mr. A to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents (causing injury). According to the police, Mr. A is accused of causing an accident on May 5, Children's Day, at around 1 p.m. while driving a 25-ton dump truck uphill toward Indeokwon in Galhyeon-dong, Gwacheon. The left fourth row (rearmost row) dual-wheel structure (two tires) detached from the vehicle.

Wheels of the accident vehicle. Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters

At the time, the wheel rolled rapidly down the slope and struck three pedestrians standing at a temporary bus stop on the opposite side: a teenage high school girl, a woman in her 40s identified as Ms. B, and a woman in her 20s identified as Ms. C, before coming to a stop. The injured student suffered severe head trauma and was transported to the hospital, where she has been receiving treatment for 127 days as of now but has yet to regain consciousness. Ms. B and Ms. C also sustained minor injuries and received hospital treatment. It has been reported that Ms. B and the others have since recovered safely.

Typically, a dump truck wheel, which weighs around 100 kilograms, is secured with about 10 bolts per wheel. However, it was found that all the bolts securing the left fourth row dual-wheel structure on Mr. A's dump truck had come off for unknown reasons just before the accident. During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I did not notice anything unusual while driving before the accident," and "the vehicle was maintained on schedule." In fact, he had the dump truck serviced one to two months prior to the accident, and no particular issues were found at that time.

The police requested an analysis of the problematic wheel from the National Forensic Service but only received the response that "the exact cause of the accident could not be determined." However, the police ultimately concluded that Mr. A was not entirely free of responsibility for failing to check for abnormalities before operating the vehicle. A police official stated, "We have investigated various possibilities, including whether the accident occurred due to negligent vehicle maintenance or if the bolts securing the wheel broke due to a major impact," adding, "However, the exact cause could not be ultimately determined." The official continued, "Nevertheless, drivers are required to maintain their vehicles to ensure safe operation, and we found that the suspect failed to fulfill this obligation."