City Bus in 'Seodaemun Sidewalk Crash'... NFS Finds No Mechanical Defects

Appraisal of the Crash on January 16
Driver Claims "Brakes Did Not Function"

The National Forensic Service (NFS) has concluded that there were no mechanical defects found in the city bus involved in the accident in which the vehicle veered onto the sidewalk at the intersection near Seodaemun Station in Seoul last month.

According to Yonhap News on February 27, the Seodaemun Police Station recently received an appraisal report from the NFS with these findings.

On the 16th of last month, a city bus crashed onto the sidewalk and then collided with a building at the Seodaemun Station intersection in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, on January 16, at the intersection near Seodaemun Station in Seodaemun-gu, there was an accident involving city bus number 704, which veered onto the sidewalk. Thirteen people were injured, including two pedestrians. Among the injured was the bus driver, a man in his 50s identified as Mr. A, who caused the accident. Alcohol tests did not reveal any indication of intoxication, and a rapid drug test also came back negative.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that "the brakes were not functioning at the time of the accident." In addition, eyewitnesses at the scene said they heard an abnormal loud noise coming from the bus just before the accident.

Before the accident, the bus driven by Mr. A had already shown signs of trouble, including hitting the median barrier of the bus-only lane after leaving the Seodaemun Station stop. Black box footage from inside the bus, which was released after the accident, showed Mr. A appearing flustered, repeatedly looking down at the pedal area under the driver's seat for about 50 seconds immediately prior to the crash.

The police have been investigating Mr. A on charges of causing injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. Based on the NFS appraisal, statements, and other evidence, the police plan to conclude their investigation and decide whether to refer Mr. A to the prosecution.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.