Mercedes-Benz driver claims sudden acceleration in accident resulting in death of pedestrian

A pedestrian en route to work was killed Tuesday after a car veered onto a sidewalk in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The driver claimed the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own.

The accident occurred around 6:50 a.m. near Exit 1 of Jeongja Station in Bundang, when a Mercedes-Benz veered onto the sidewalk, according to the police. 

A man who was on the sidewalk was hit. He was taken to the hospital unresponsive and was later declared dead.

The driver and her child, who was in the passenger seat, were also injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening, the police said. 

The car was travelling in the fifth lane of a five-lane road heading from Migeum Station toward Jeongja Station, and first struck the rear end of a community bus that was stopped at a bus stop. The car then veered onto the sidewalk and hit the pedestrian, a bicycle rack and a tree until it came to a full stop. 

A police investigation found that the driver had been taking her child to school at the time of the accident. She told police the car had suddenly accelerated.

Police said a breathalyzer confirmed that she was not under the influence of alcohol.

The driver has been charged with causing death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. Once her medical treatment is complete, police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident and request the National Forensic Service to analyze the vehicle's event data recorder, CCTV footage and dashcam video.

BY PARK JONG-SUH [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]