A man in his 50s who struck a newlywed couple at a crosswalk with his truck, killing the pregnant wife and her unborn child, has been given a suspended prison sentence.
The Uijeongbu District Court's Criminal Division 6 sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to two years in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of death and injury by negligent driving under the Act on Special Cases concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, the legal community said Tuesday.
A was driving a 7.5-ton truck through an intersection in Singok-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, around 10 p.m. on September 10 last year when he struck a man in his 30s, identified as B, and a woman in her 20s, identified as C, who were crossing the road. The traffic signal for vehicles was red at the time, and the victims were crossing in accordance with the pedestrian signal. The investigation found that A failed to properly watch the road ahead and continued driving without stopping before hitting them.
C, who was 17 weeks pregnant, was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and treated in the intensive care unit, but died 17 days after the accident on the 27th of the previous month. The fetus she was carrying also died as a result of the accident. Her husband B sustained injuries requiring about eight weeks of treatment, including rib fractures, traumatic hemopneumothorax, and lung contusions.
The couple had married last year and were on their way home from work when the accident occurred. C, who worked as a nurse in a hospital intensive care unit, had also received a blood donation merit award for her consistent blood donations, adding to the tragedy.
In police questioning, A reportedly stated that "another car was in the next lane, and I was looking at the rearview mirror and failed to see the signal ahead." Police, judging the matter to be serious, completed their investigation including interviews with the victims, applied for an arrest warrant, took A into custody, and referred the case to prosecutors.
"The traffic signal had already turned red well before the defendant reached the crosswalk, and the victims were struck after walking about two-thirds of the way across the crosswalk on the green pedestrian signal," the court said. "The defendant's breach of duty of care was severe."
The court added, "The consequences are also grave, with C's death and B continuing to receive treatment for serious injuries to this day. However, we took into account the fact that the defendant reached a settlement with the victim's family and has no prior criminal record beyond fines."
