High School Student Sentenced to Prison for Fatal Electric Scooter Accident While Driving Unlicensed

Teenage Girl Rides Single-Person Scooter with Friend
Drives 800 Meters at 21 km/h, Exceeding Speed Limit

A teenage high school student who struck a couple in their 60s while riding an electric scooter, resulting in the wife's death, has been sentenced to prison.

On October 30, Judge Choi Donghwan of the Criminal Division 6 at the Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court announced that he had sentenced high school student A to eight months in prison (with a minimum term of six months) and a fine of 200,000 won. A was charged with occupational negligence resulting in death or injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, as well as unlicensed driving under the Road Traffic Act.

The court stated, "A drove an electric scooter for approximately 800 meters in a park where entry was prohibited, without a moped license," and added, "She exceeded the speed limit, driving at about 21 km/h with a friend riding on a single-person electric scooter, and collided with the couple."

The court further explained, "The victims were unable to receive compensation through insurance or other means, and the bereaved family is suffering from severe psychological trauma after losing a loved one so suddenly." The sentencing also took into account the family's plea for a strict punishment.

During the trial, A's side argued that "a bicycle coming from the opposite direction suddenly changed course, and the collision with the victims was unavoidable while trying to avoid the bicycle," claiming there was no negligence. However, the court rejected this argument, stating, "There was a duty to secure a clear view ahead and to drive at a much lower speed in anticipation of unexpected situations," and "It is difficult to see the bicycle's movement as an unforeseeable or exceptional circumstance."

A is accused of colliding with a couple in their 60s, identified as Mr. C and Mrs. D, who were walking on the right side of the bicycle path at Ilsan Lake Park in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, on June 8 last year, while riding an electric scooter with her friend B. Both victims were transported to the hospital immediately after the accident, but Mrs. D died nine days later during treatment. The police determined that the accident site constituted a road under the law and referred A to the prosecution with an additional charge of unlicensed driving.

Meanwhile, although B was not the driver at the time of the accident, it was confirmed that she had driven the scooter without a license for a certain period before the accident and was fined for this violation.