"I Broke My Neck While Riding a Bicycle at Hangang Park"... Compensation of 600,000 Won, Medical Bills of 11 Million Won

[Financial News] A man in his 60s suffered a broken neck after falling when his bicycle wheel became caught in a gap in a ground facility at Hangang Park.

On the 8th, JTBC's "Incident Chief" introduced the story of a man in his 60s, identified as A, who lives in Mangwon-dong, Seoul.
At around 10 a.m. on July 29, A was riding his bicycle toward Mangwon Hangang Park. As he passed through an access route, his front wheel became caught in a gap in a temporary steel road plate installed on the ground. The bicycle suddenly stopped, sending A's body flying forward with the bicycle. He fell and struck his face hard against the concrete pavement.
A said, "I don't remember anything from the moment I fell," adding, "I heard that someone passing by called emergency services. I must have been taken to a university hospital because I was covered in blood."
He continued, "My daughter apparently panicked as soon as she saw the CCTV footage from the scene. The hospital staff said it was a miracle that I had not died. They also said it was fortunate that I was not paralyzed from the neck down."
A suffered fractures to three neck bones, a concussion, facial abrasions, and the loss of a front tooth. He said he was hospitalized for more than a week and was unable to work for a month, while medical expenses had already exceeded 3 million won. He is also scheduled to undergo neck surgery, which is expected to cost an additional 8 million won. Total medical expenses are therefore projected to reach 11 million won.

After being discharged, A visited the Hangang Park Management Office and learned that concerns about the facility's safety and the need for its replacement had already been reported to Mapo-gu Office on June 2, before the accident. However, the facility was not replaced, and A was injured about two months later. He said the facility was still in place when he visited the accident site after leaving the hospital.
A said, "When I asked Mapo-gu Office about compensation, I was told that it would be difficult to receive compensation because the facility was not covered by public-facility liability insurance." He added, "Instead, I was told that I could receive about 200,000 won from bicycle accident insurance and about 400,000 won from insurance for Mapo-gu residents, for a total of 600,000 won."
Mapo-gu Office told "Incident Chief," "We took immediate temporary measures on the temporary steel road plate in early June." It added, "Because it had to be custom-made, a full replacement took time and was ultimately completed on August 5, after the accident." The office further explained, "Although the facility was not covered by public-facility liability insurance, we informed him about the safety insurance for district residents and bicycle insurance, and explained that he could apply for a state-compensation review."
A lamented, "The facility's danger had been pointed out before the accident, but it took a long time to replace it. In the meantime, there were no meaningful safety warnings or controls."
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter