Marathon Runner in His 20s Suffers Brain Injury After Being Hit by Truck... Jin Taehyun Says "He Was a Promising Athlete Full of Passion"

Young Athlete in 20s Hit by Vehicle at North Chungcheong Marathon
Truck Driver Who Changed Lanes Says "I Didn't See the Person"
Actor Jin Taehyun: "Only One Lane Controlled, It's Frustrating and Heartbreaking"

An incident occurred at a marathon event in North Chungcheong Province, where a participant suffered a brain injury after being hit by a truck. Actor Jin Taehyun, who also serves as a marathon commentator, expressed his sorrow over the incident. On November 10, Jin wrote on his social media account, "(The victim) was a promising athlete full of passion, with a record of 2 hours and 13 minutes," adding, "It is reported that only one of the two lanes was controlled during the official provincial marathon event. This is incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking."

Photo for article understanding. Pixabay

According to Yonhap News Agency, at around 10 a.m. that day, during a marathon held in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, A (25), an elite marathon runner from the Cheongju City Hall athletics team, was struck by a 1-ton Porter truck. A sustained severe injuries to the head and other areas and was transferred to a general hospital in Daejeon, where life-sustaining treatment was initiated due to brain injury. A had been recognized as a promising athlete, having achieved outstanding results in various marathon competitions.

The accident occurred when the Porter truck, which had been traveling in the first lane, suddenly changed lanes to the second lane and struck the runner from behind. At the time, one lane was open to regular traffic, while the other lane was controlled for marathon participants. The truck driver, B, who is in his 80s, reportedly told police, "I did not see the person."

The marathon was a provincial city and county competition organized by the North Chungcheong Athletics Federation and others, and was scheduled to take place over three days starting that day. Due to the accident, the remaining marathon events were canceled.

There was another vehicle accident at a marathon event. In October last year, during the National Sports Festival half marathon in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, C, a male runner in his 20s from the Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Council, was hit by a passenger car. C reportedly suffered a joint injury to his left leg and was transferred to a hospital in Gyeonggi Province for treatment.

According to the police investigation, D, a driver in his 70s, was driving in the third lane before the accident, then made a right turn and entered the second lane, which was a controlled area. A race official who noticed this attempted to guide D's vehicle back to the third lane, but D collided with C, who was ahead. D reportedly told police, "I saw C but could not avoid him in time." The vehicle was reportedly traveling at about 20 km/h at the time.