Mother Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Fatal Drunk Driving Accident While Carrying Young Daughters at 178 km/h

A woman in her 30s has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing a fatal motorcycle accident while driving under the influence with her young daughters in the vehicle.

The Daejeon District Court Hongseong Branch, presided over by Judge Im Hwi-jae, sentenced A (38) to 12 years in prison today (July 10). She was charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (fatal hit-and-run and failure to take measures after an accident), drunk driving, and violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse).

The court also ordered her to complete 80 hours of child abuse treatment.

A was brought to trial for driving her car at 178 km/h while intoxicated on a road in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, at approximately 9:20 p.m. this past January. She struck a motorcycle traveling in front of her and fled the scene, resulting in the death of the motorcyclist, B (in his 20s).

At the time, her two young daughters, aged 6 and 4, were in the car. Prosecutors charged her with child abuse, arguing that her behavior—speeding while in a state of severe intoxication with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.211%, well above the legal limit for license revocation—exposed her children to danger and constituted emotional abuse.

A was speeding at 178 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 60 km/h, exceeding the limit by 118 km/h.

B was a groom-to-be who was on his way home from work when the accident occurred. Investigations revealed that after the crash, A checked on B's condition but failed to report the accident or provide assistance. Instead, she reportedly hurled insults at B and witnesses, shifting blame by saying things like, "Isn't this because of you?" and "My children are startled."

A claimed that she was too intoxicated to realize the victim had died and that she had no intention of fleeing, but the court rejected these arguments.

The court explained, "Looking at her overall behavior, such as speaking with witnesses at the scene immediately after the accident, it is clear that she was fully aware that a traffic accident had occurred." The court added, "When police cars and ambulances arrived, A walked away from the scene without a word, and she was tracked down only after a witness spotted her and alerted the police."

The court stated the reasons for the sentencing, saying, "She drove recklessly while severely intoxicated, failed to provide aid to the victim despite being able to do so, and even shifted her responsibility onto others, making her actions highly condemnable." The court further noted, "In particular, despite her duty to protect her children, she engaged in reckless drunk driving, causing significant harm to their mental health and development, which is also a very serious crime."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.