Police have transferred to prosecutors the case of a trucker whose negligence caused severe injuries to pedestrians, including one who has remained unconscious for more than four months.
The accident occurred at around 1 p.m. on May 1, Children's Day, when a wheel detached from a 25-ton dump truck in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The wheel hit two adults and a high school student, severely injuring the teenage girl's head.
She has yet to regain consciousness as of Monday, the 127th day since the accident. The other two victims escaped with minor injuries.
The police charged the truck driver with violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, specifically for causing injury through occupational negligence.
"Drivers are required to inspect their vehicles to ensure safe driving, but the suspect failed to fulfill that obligation ... A dump truck is heavy equipment, and its operation in the streets requires particular care by its driver," a police official told local media.
A National Forensic Service investigation into the case was inconclusive about what exactly caused the wheel to come off and whether it was due to lack of maintenance. The driver had his truck inspected for safety a little over a month before the accident, according to his testimony.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
