Man in 40s Killed, Wife Injured After Taxi Plows Into Sidewalk

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Last night, near Children's Grand Park Station in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, a taxi crossed the centerline and crashed onto a sidewalk. A man in his 40s was killed and his wife was injured. The taxi driver, in his 70s, told police during questioning that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the details.

[Reporter]

Traffic cones and safety tape are cordoning off the middle of the sidewalk, and a shaded shelter structure has its pillars uprooted, flipped over, and cleared away.

At around 9:00 p.m. last night, a taxi driven by a man in his 70s crashed onto the sidewalk in front of Children's Grand Park Station on Subway Line 7 in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

[Kim Dong-hyun / Gwangjin-gu, Seoul: The front bumper of the taxi was crumpled inward. (Originally) the base of the shelter pillar was attached, but it was knocked down like this.]

A man in his 40s who was sitting on a bench under the rest area's shade shelter was struck by the taxi and killed, while his wife, who was sitting next to him, sustained head injuries and was transported to a hospital.

The taxi driver, A, and a passenger were not injured. However, because many citizens were waiting at traffic lights at the time of the accident, a larger scale of casualties was narrowly avoided.

Police have booked driver A on charges of causing death and injury through occupational negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. A is reportedly stated during questioning that the accident occurred because he was driving while drowsy.

However, investigations showed no signs of alcohol or drug use.

Police are considering applying for an arrest warrant for A.

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At around 4:30 a.m. today, on a road in Munhyeong-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a passenger car driven by a person in their 20s, B, rear-ended a motorcycle traveling ahead.

As a result of the accident, the motorcycle rider, a male in his teens, sustained severe head injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

At the time of the accident, B's blood alcohol concentration was found to be at a level warranting license revocation.

Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident while also considering applying for an arrest warrant for B.

(Video by Cho Chang-hyun | Video editing by Shin Seeun | Photo courtesy of Song Younghoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.