Marathon turns tragic when truck hits front-runner, leaving him brain-dead

Runners participate in a marathon. (Getty Images Bank)

A runner has been declared brain-dead after being hit by a truck during a marathon in North Chungcheong Province, news reports said Tuesday. The 25-year-old athlete was leading the race at the time.

At around 10 a.m. Monday, while participating in the race on a two-lane road in Okcheon, the runner was struck by a 1-ton truck that suddenly crossed from the first lane into the second. The latter had been closed to traffic for the marathon, according to police and fire authorities.

A police patrol car was escorting the runners about 20 to 30 meters ahead, and the crash occurred when the runner was at the front of the pack, leaving other participants unharmed.

He sustained serious head injuries and was taken to a hospital in Daejeon, where he was later pronounced brain-dead and has since been kept on life support.

The runner was a promising athlete who joined the Cheongju City Hall athletic team in August, achieving strong results in several marathon events.

Monday's race was part of an intercity competition organized by the North Chungcheong Athletics Federation and other related organizations.

The three-day event features about 300 runners competing on a 77.5-kilometer course that starts in Yeongdong, passes through Okcheon and Boeun counties, and ends in Cheongju. The organizers immediately called off the event following the accident.

Police said that the truck driver, who is in his 80s, was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. During questioning, he told officers that he "simply didn’t see the runner."

Police are investigating the exact cause of the crash.

“Several vehicles were traveling in front of the truck when the crash occurred, but traffic was not particularly heavy,” a police officer said.