32 Lives Shattered: Drunk Driver’s Reckless Stunt at Traffic Signal Leaves Trail of Destruction

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A drunken van crashed into a large bus, injuring more than 30 people.

The police were chasing a driver who had driven his car through a red light.

Journalist Soyoung Yoon reports.

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A two-lane road in central Daejeon.

A black van drives down the road with its emergency lights on.

A police car follows closely behind.

Shortly after, the van hit the side of a bus that had entered the intersection while trying to continue straight.

Due to the impact of the accident, the bus stops only after colliding with a bridge pylon.

Around 9:50 p.m. last night, a van and a BRT bus carrying 30 passengers collided at an intersection in Ojeong-dong, Daejeon.

Due to the impact against the bridge pillar, the front part of the bus and the driver’s seat were completely crushed.

The accident injured 32 people, including bus passengers, and three, including a bus driver in his 50s and a van driver, were seriously injured.

[목격자(음성변조)]

“The driver was screaming for his life. Me and the police officer pulled the backrest (of the driver’s seat) and asked if it would work, but no, we cut it with a box cutter and got (the bus driver) out in 3 hours.”

The driver of the van, in his fifties, had previously violated the red light and the police who had witnessed the scene chased him for about 500 meters.

During the police investigation following the accident, the man’s blood alcohol level was measured at a license suspension level.

[이주한/대전 대덕경찰서 교통조사팀장]

“After completing a DUI test, while entering the police station to write a report, the suspect vehicle ran a traffic light and made a left turn…”

Police have charged the driver of the van with drunk driving and professional negligence causing injury and are investigating the details of the accident.

This is MBC News’ Soyoung Yoon.

Video coverage: Shin Gyu-ho (Daejeon) / Video provided by: Daejeon Fire Department, Daejeon City

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