Seoul Namdaemun Police Station chief Ryu Jae-hyeok briefs reporters on Aug. 1, 2024, on the investigation results involving the deadly car crash near Seoul City Hall last month that killed nine people. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Police concluded Thursday that last month’s deadly car crash near Seoul City Hall was caused by driver mistakes, not by sudden unintended acceleration of the vehicle as claimed by the elderly driver.
Seoul Namdaemun Police Station Chief Ryu Jae-hyeok announced the finding after a monthlong investigation into the July 1 crash that claimed the lives of nine people, saying no defects were found in the Hyundai Genesis G80 sedan.
“Though the suspect is consistently maintaining a claim that it was an accident caused by defects of the vehicle, but contrary to the suspect’s claim, poor driving controls have been confirmed,” Ryu said during a press briefing.
“According to the National Forensic Service’s analysis, no mechanical defect was found in the acceleration and brake systems and the (event data recorder) was operating normally,” he said. “According to an analysis of the EDR, the brake was not applied from five seconds before the accident until the accident.”
The 68-year-old driver, surnamed Cha, pressed the accelerator rather than the brake at the time, the official said, citing the EDR records and the pattern imprinted on the outsole of his shoe that matched that of the accelerator.
The car’s brake lights were also not illuminated while it was being driven, Ryu said.
Cha was formally arrested earlier this week after a court issued an arrest warrant for him.
On July 1, his car darted in the wrong direction for some 200 meters on a one-way road near Seoul City Hall before crashing into sidewalk guardrails, hitting pedestrians and ramming into two other cars.
The crash left nine pedestrians killed, most of them office workers nearby. Seven others, including Cha and his wife, sustained injuries.
(Yonhap)
