Driver tells police they were 'looking at stoplight' when marathoner accident occurred

The driver who ran over the 28-year-old marathoner — who was later declared brain dead — told police that they failed to see the runner because they were “looking at a traffic light.”

The police logo [YONHAP]

The driver involved in an accident that rendered a 28-year-old marathoner brain dead told police that they failed to see the runner because they were “looking at a traffic light.”

The explanation was given during questioning at the Okcheon Police Station, North Chungcheong, on Tuesday. The traffic light that the driver mentioned stands about 100 meters (about 328 feet) ahead of the accident site, according to investigators.

The driver claims to have been changing lanes to yield to another vehicle when the collision happened, according to the police. The driver reportedly met the victim's parents at the police station and expressed remorse.

The crash occurred at about 10 a.m. on Monday during a marathon in Okcheon County. The driver’s 1-ton porter truck struck the runner — a competitor who belonged to Cheongju’s workplace sports team — after suddenly moving from the first lane into the second.

The marathoner was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries and was declared brain dead about six and a half hours later. Police said the truck struck the runner at about 57 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour).

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 JANG GU-SEUL [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]