Appears in Court for Detention Review
Claims "My Memory Comes and Goes"
The truck driver in his 60s who caused a crash at a traditional market in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, resulting in 2 deaths and 19 injuries, appeared in court for a detention review and claimed that his cerebrovascular disease, "moyamoya disease," is extremely severe.
A man in his 60s who caused a crash in a traditional market, resulting in 2 deaths and 19 injuries, is entering the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 15th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Driver A, age 67, who is facing charges of causing death and injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, entered the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 15th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). He covered his handcuffed hands with a cloth and wore a hat and mask to avoid revealing his face.
When asked by reporters, "Do you admit to pressing the accelerator instead of the brake?" A replied, "My moyamoya disease is extremely severe, and for 60 years I have done nothing but sell fish." He added, "I have only slept for four hours at a time and never more than that. Because I have a lot of debt, I have to pay the interest, so I worked hard, and as a result, I developed this illness."
When asked if he had anything to say to the victims' families, he said, "My memory comes and goes."
This statement differs somewhat from what the police previously reported. According to the police, during an earlier investigation, A stated, "(Moyamoya disease) has nothing to do with driving and does not affect my ability to drive at all."
The warrant hearing is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on this day, and the decision on whether to detain him is expected later in the evening.
Previously, on the morning of November 13 at 10:54 a.m., A is accused of causing a crash with a 1-ton truck at Jeil Market in Wonjong-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, resulting in the deaths of two women in their 60s and 70s and injuring 19 men and women ranging in age from their 10s to 70s.
According to the investigation, A's truck reversed 1 to 2 meters just before the accident, then sped forward for 132 meters, striking victims and market stalls in succession. Footage from the truck's "pedal black box," which records the pedals and brakes, showed that A was pressing the accelerator, not the brake, at the time of the accident.
Of the 21 casualties in this accident, only 2 were market vendors, while the remaining 19 were customers. Most of the injured were in their 50s to 70s.
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