Self-sufficiency worker killed in truck crash on way to provide services for seniors

A worker at a local self-sufficiency center who was assisting with mobile bathing services for senior citizens in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday.

A 1-ton mobile bathing vehicle that plunged down a riverside embankment after colliding with a 1-ton truck in Mokdo-ri, Hadong-eup, Hadong County, at around 8:35 a.m. on Oct. 16. [SOUTH GYEONGSANG FIRE DEPARTMENT]

A worker at a local self-sufficiency center who was assisting with mobile bathing services for senior citizens in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday.

At around 8:37 a.m., a mobile bathing vehicle collided with a 1-ton truck in front of it on a two-lane road near a gas station in Hadong-eup. The vehicle then veered off the road and plunged about 5 meters (16.4 feet) down an embankment along a riverside.

Self-sufficiency work programs are government welfare initiatives aimed at helping basic livelihood security recipients and low-income individuals earn a living while gaining skills for independence. These programs are typically administered by local self-sufficiency centers under city, county or district governments.

A woman in her 40s who was inside the vehicle was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest but was later pronounced dead. Three others — the driver of the mobile bathing vehicle, a passenger in his 60s, and the driver of the 1-ton truck — suffered minor injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital.

The woman was a worker with the self-sufficiency center and had boarded the vehicle with colleagues that morning to provide mobile bathing services to elderly residents in the area, according to police.

Investigators believe the mobile vehicle had crossed the centerline in an attempt to overtake the truck but swerved back into its lane to avoid an oncoming vehicle, striking the rear of the truck in the process.

Following the impact, the 1-ton truck crashed into a retaining wall on the left side of the road and came to a stop.

Police are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses to determine the exact cause of the accident and whether negligence was involved.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]