Jinju bus driver booked after woman in her 80s fatally struck on road
In short
Police in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, have booked a city bus driver in his 50s after his bus struck a woman in her 80s who later died. The woman was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest after the Oct. 5 evening collision in Sangbong-dong and did not survive. Yonhap reported she was crossing the road, while Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo headlines described her as jaywalking; police say they are still investigating the circumstances.
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Police in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, said on Oct. 6 that they had booked a city bus driver in his 50s on a charge of causing death in a traffic accident, after his bus struck a woman in her 80s. According to Yonhap, citing Jinju Police Station, the collision happened at about 18:57 on Oct. 5 on a road in Sangbong-dong, Jinju, as the driver was travelling straight. The woman was taken to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and died. [ 1 , 3 ]
The driver told police he did not see the person, Yonhap reported. Dong-A Ilbo said the bus was heading from in front of Jinju Girls' High School toward Sangbong Jugong Apartment, and that police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident. [ 1 , 3 ]
The documents differ on how the woman came to be on the road. Yonhap described her as crossing the road, while Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo put jaywalking in their headlines. The accounts agree that she was in her 80s, that she was struck by the bus and that she died after being taken to hospital, and that the driver has been booked but not, as of the reports, sent to prosecutors. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The case is a local traffic-fatality investigation that will proceed through police questioning and a decision on whether to send the driver to prosecutors. Because the charge falls under the traffic accident special cases law, the outcome will turn on findings about how the collision happened, including whether the pedestrian was crossing illegally. For residents of Jinju, it also concerns bus safety on a city route near a school and apartment complex.
Key facts
- Jinju Police Station booked a city bus driver in his 50s on a charge of causing death in a traffic accident, the police said on Oct. 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The bus struck a woman in her 80s on a road in Sangbong-dong, Jinju, at about 18:57 on Oct. 5. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The woman was taken to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and later died. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The driver told police he did not see the person, according to Yonhap. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo said the bus was heading from in front of Jinju Girls' High School toward Sangbong Jugong Apartment when the collision occurred. [ 3 ]
- Police said they are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the woman was crossing the road illegally or simply crossing the road. Yonhap said she was crossing the road, while Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo described her in their headlines as jaywalking; the documents do not resolve the difference.
- The exact cause of the collision and the outcome of the investigation. Police said they are still investigating the circumstances, and no further findings are given.
- Whether any decision has been made on forwarding the driver to prosecutors. The documents say only that he was booked and questioned.