A Tragic Last Moment of a 60-Year-Old Man Helping an Unknown Driver After an Accident

Last month in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, a tragic accident occurred in which a man in his 60s lost his life due to a secondary accident while helping to alleviate a traffic accident.

Upon reviewing video footage from the scene, it was observed that the deceased man did not turn a blind eye to the accident; instead, he was doing his utmost to help the driver.

On the 9th, JTBC released footage from the accident that took place on the 11th of last month at around 8:20 PM near the Gakhan Tunnel in Nam-myeon, Yeongwol County.

The accident led to a secondary incident, resulting in four casualties. The police have reported a man in his 30s for causing the first and second accidents under the Traffic Accident Handling Special Act, with charges of causing death, and a woman in her 30s under the same act for causing injury and death.

The unfortunate individual, Mr. Jeong Jae-yeon, was returning home after an interview for a new job.

In the black box footage, he witnessed two vehicles colliding on the dark roadside. Seeing smoke rising from a vehicle, he could not ignore the situation and stopped on the shoulder of the road. He ran directly toward the burning vehicle. As a first-level fire safety manager, he took a fire extinguisher and began to put out the fire.

However, one fire extinguisher was insufficient. He hurriedly grabbed his cell phone left in his car and frantically called 119.

A Noble Act for Others Until His Last Moment

Mr. Jeong informed the 119 situation room, "There has been an accident here. People are injured, and an ambulance needs to come quickly. It's near the Gakhan Tunnel, and there’s a fire in the car."

However, during the call, Mr. Jeong's voice suddenly cut off.

He could not respond to questions from the situation room and lay on the ground, unable to get up. All that could be heard was someone asking, "Are you okay?"

The police believe that an SUV, which was unaware of the accident, crashed directly into Mr. Jeong.

Both the driver, who was trapped in the burning car, and Mr. Jeong eventually lost their lives.

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According to Mr. Jeong's son, he was a warm-hearted person who couldn’t overlook the difficulties of others, often volunteering at a nursing home.

In an interview with JTBC, Mr. Jeong's son recalled, "Even when he was younger, whenever he saw a broken-down vehicle on the road, he would stop to help and report it, even while on family trips."

This incident serves as a heartbreaking example of how goodwill actions to assist others can lead to tragic outcomes, reiterating the importance of preventing secondary accidents on the road.

Traffic experts advise that, when witnessing an accident, one should first move to a safe location and then report it to 119 or 112. They emphasize the importance of using hazard lights or setting up warning triangles, especially at night, to ensure visibility to following vehicles.

Image source: jtbc, Gangwon Province Fire Department