Man in 40s Killed After Taxi Veers Onto Sidewalk; Wife Injured

[Anchor]

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, who was with him, was injured. The taxi driver, in his 70s, told police during the investigation that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the details.

[Reporter]

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

At around 9 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. The base of the shelter pole, which is supposed to be fixed, was knocked over like this.]

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

Although the taxi driver, identified as A, and a passenger were uninjured, a larger disaster was narrowly averted as many citizens were waiting at nearby traffic signals at the time of the accident.

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

However, investigations showed no reaction to alcohol or drugs.

Police are reviewing whether to apply 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, identified as 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 taken to a hospital for treatment.

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

While investigating the exact circumstances of the accident, police are also reviewing the possibility of requesting an arrest warrant for B.

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