Claims of sudden acceleration from a 70-year-old driver involved in a reverse driving accident; National Forensic Service states "accelerator pedal pressed"

On March 30, a passenger car driving in reverse in Cheongju collided with a vehicle waiting at a red light, resulting in the deaths of three people.

After the accident, the driver claimed sudden acceleration, but the National Forensic Service released findings indicating there were no faults with the vehicle.

On the 19th, the Cheongju Sangdang Police Station announced that an analysis of the event data recorder (EDR) of the offending vehicle confirmed that the driver, person A (in his 70s), pressed the accelerator pedal (commonly known as "accel") instead of the brake pedal just before the incident.

At the time of the accident, it was investigated that the speed of the vehicle was around 150 km/h, with the accelerator pedal pressed instead of the brake pedal.

Police suspect that the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake and are conducting further investigations into the circumstances of the accident.

Driving in reverse, the car collided with a waiting vehicle making a left turn… only stopped after hitting two other cars

Earlier, at approximately 12:42 PM on March 30, a Sonata sedan driven by person A collided head-on with a compact car waiting to make a left turn at the Namjung Intersection in Sugeun-dong, Cheongju.

The impact from the accident caused the compact car to push into two passenger vehicles waiting in the adjacent lane, triggering a chain collision before coming to a stop.

As a result of this incident, the driver (in his 80s) and two passengers (in their 80s) in the compact car died, and six other occupants from the other vehicles were injured and transported to the hospital.

Police plan to determine whether to apply for an arrest warrant for person A on charges of causing death and injury under the Special Act on Traffic Accidents around early June.

Image source: At approximately 12:42 PM on March 30, an accident occurred at the intersection in front of Namjung Middle School in Suwon-gu, Cheongju, where five vehicles, including passenger cars, collided, leaving three individuals in a state of cardiac arrest and transported to the hospital. (Photo provided by Cheongju Eastern Fire Station) / News1, reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank