Truck Driver in "Passenger-Side Lightning-Strike Accident" Dies in Another Crash Four Days Later

Crashing Into a Roadside Marker While Driving at Dawn
Police: "Not Yet Booked... Case to Be Closed for Lack of Prosecutorial Authority"

The truck driver who had been under suspicion of causing the death of a passenger in an oncoming vehicle after hitting a median strip while towing a large crane died in another traffic accident four days after the first crash.

According to Yonhap News on February 6, at around 1:28 a.m. that day, a van driven by a man in his 50s, identified as A, crashed into a bridge marker near a bridge on a one-lane one-way road in Jangan-myeon, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. A, who was alone in the vehicle, died at the scene.

The deceased A was identified as the driver involved in the so-called "passenger-side lightning-strike accident" that occurred in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, four days earlier. A police official investigating A's single-vehicle fatal accident stated, "After checking the vehicle's dashboard camera, it does not appear to be a simple case of driver error."

At around 2:10 p.m. on February 2, A was driving a cargo truck (tractor) on National Route 38 in Samjuk-myeon, Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, when he crashed into the median strip. At the time, a 60-ton-class large crane was connected to A's vehicle in a towing configuration. Police believe that A caused the accident because he failed to sufficiently account for the rear turning radius while making a right turn.

The impact partially damaged the median strip, and the steel-plate glare screen (a facility to prevent headlight glare) installed on it bent and swung around into the opposite lane. The glare screen then collided with a Sorento approaching from the opposite direction, and the impact killed a woman in her 50s, identified as B, the wife of the driver who was seated in the front passenger seat.

A did not report the accident to the police until about two hours after it occurred. He is said to have testified to the effect that "I only realized an accident had occurred after later checking the load." Based on closed-circuit (CC) TV footage and the victim vehicle's dashboard camera, police have been investigating the facts, including whether A left the scene after causing the accident, and have been looking into potential hit-and-run charges.

However, as A, who had been questioned once as a witness, died in another traffic accident early this morning ahead of a second round of questioning, the Anseong case is expected to be closed on the grounds of non-prosecution due to the suspect's death.

Nonetheless, police have learned that multiple tractors and large crane vehicles similar to A's, as well as a repair shop, were parked near the accident site, and they plan to investigate whether this location was authorized by the authorities. They will also examine the Suwon National Land Management Office, which is responsible for managing the site, to determine whether safety management of facilities such as the median strip and glare screens was properly carried out.

An official at the Anseong Police Station said, "A had not yet been booked; we were planning to initiate criminal proceedings after the second round of questioning, but he died in the accident," adding, "We will handle the case as non-prosecution due to lack of prosecutorial authority, but we will continue to look into road safety management and related matters."