Mother and Baby Die After Arrival at Hospital
Police: "Too Little Time to Recognize Approaching Ambulance"
Controversy has arisen in Busan after it was revealed that a police patrol car failed to yield to an ambulance transporting a pregnant woman in critical condition. The ambulance was transferring the woman, who had been injured in a traffic accident, to a hospital, but both the mother and baby ultimately died.
Patrol car footage capturing the situation at the time. An ambulance is bypassing the patrol car. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
According to police and other sources on November 5, a private ambulance carrying a pregnant woman was heading to Pusan National University Hospital around 9 p.m. on October 30 near Gudeok Intersection in Seo-gu, Busan. The woman was reportedly in critical condition after being involved in a traffic accident in which her abdomen was pinned under a vehicle.
At the intersection, the ambulance stopped behind a patrol car that was waiting in the first lane after the traffic light turned red. The ambulance sounded its siren and broadcast a request for the patrol car to yield, but the patrol car did not move immediately. It was only after a tour bus in the second lane made way that the ambulance was able to continue its journey.
The pregnant woman in the ambulance was in critical condition due to the accident in which her abdomen was pinned under the vehicle. She was transferred to the hospital, but both the baby and the mother were later reported to have died.
As the controversy grew, the police explained that the officer driving the patrol car did not have enough time to recognize the approaching ambulance from behind.
A police official stated, "The ambulance was driving in the second and third lanes before moving behind the patrol car in the first lane. By the time the presence of the ambulance was noticed, the bus had already made way and the ambulance was moving into the second lane. All of this happened within just two to three seconds."
The official added, "There was a median barrier on the left side of the patrol car, a large bus on the right, and vehicles making a left turn in front. Had the patrol car moved, it might have actually made it more difficult for the ambulance to pass."
The official further explained, "If the police had known about the ambulance, they would have either escorted it or reported the situation to the control center to manage the traffic signals and provide support."
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