SUV Crashes into Daycare Center... 80-Year-Old Driver Claims Sudden Unintended Acceleration

[Anchor]

An SUV driven by an elderly driver in his 80s collided with a taxi and then crashed into a daycare center in downtown Gwangju. Because the incident coincided with the children's arrival time, it could have resulted in a major disaster, but fortunately, the children were in a different classroom, preventing a major tragedy.

Here is a report from KBC's Lim Kyung-sub.

[Reporter]

A road in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

An SUV that collided with a taxi plunges into a commercial building across the street.

A passing pedestrian steps back in shock, and people rush outside.

The incident, in which an SUV driven by a man in his 80s plowed into a daycare center, occurred at around 9:00 AM.

After exiting the underground parking lot, the SUV struck a passing taxi, broke through a fence, and plowed straight ahead.

The crash left the SUV driver and a taxi driver in his 70s with minor injuries, and they were transported to a hospital.

At the time, five children had arrived at the daycare center, but they were gathered in a classroom away from the impact zone, so fortunately, there were no casualties.

[Daycare Center Official : Fortunately, early in the morning, when only one or two children arrive early, we gather them together and care for them in a different classroom, so this area was empty.]

Police confirmed that the SUV driver was neither driving without a license nor under the influence of alcohol, and he reportedly claimed sudden unintended acceleration during police questioning.

Police have booked the SUV driver on charges of causing injury through professional negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, and are investigating the exact circumstances by analyzing the vehicle's event data recorder (EDR).

(Video Reporter: Jang Chang-gun (KBC), Kim Jong-won (KBC))

Lim Kyung-sub, KBC
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.