▲ The situation at the time of the accident in December last year


In the first trial of a civil lawsuit over who was responsible for the suspected car crash that occurred in Gangneung in December last year, the driver reiterated that the accident was caused by a defective vehicle.

The Chuncheonji Law's Gangneung Jiwon Civil Division 12 held the first day of arguments in a case filed by the driver of the vehicle and his or her family against the manufacturer for damages worth about 2 million won.

"This case has four elements that are typical of a sudden rash," the plaintiff's attorney said, referring to a "whimper" and liquid oozing from the muffler, tire marks on the road, and white smoke.

"The dashcam has a recording of the driver's voice indicating a malfunction of the vehicle," he said, emphasizing that it was a "sudden accident that lasted for 7 seconds."

The defendant's attorney said, "We will refute the case in detail after confirming the findings of the National Institute of Forensic Science," and said, "We have just taken up the case and are preparing a detailed document, and we will submit it as soon as possible."

The trial court accepted both the EDR and acoustic analysis appraisals submitted by the plaintiffs.

At the trial today (6rd), the driver, Mr. A, his son, and the father of the deceased child were given the right to speak and appealed for the truth to be clarified.

Earlier, in December last year, a 4-year-old grandson was killed in a suspicious accident in Hongje-dong, Gangneung, when an SUV driven by Mr. A in his 30s was driving with his grandson.

As a result of this accident, Mr. A was charged with manslaughter under the Special Law for the Handling of Traffic Accidents, and was investigated by the police in March.

(Photo = Courtesy of Gangneung Fire Department, Yonhap News)