Bus Driver Booked for Leaving Passenger in Their 70s With Broken Spine Without Aid After Sudden Bus Start, Despite Plea: “My Back Hurts”

[Financial News] A city bus driver who left a passenger in their 70s with a broken spine at a bus stop without providing aid after the passenger fell when the bus pulled away suddenly has been booked by police.
On the 23rd, News 1, Gyeonggi Ilbo and other outlets reported that Yongin Dongbu Police Precinct said the previous day that it had booked and was investigating driver A on suspicion of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (fleeing the scene after causing injury).
A is suspected of dropping passenger B, in their 70s, off at a bus stop and then leaving the scene after B fell and was injured while A was driving a city bus in Idong-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, at around 10 a.m. on the 9th of last month.
Investigators determined that B fell when the bus suddenly pulled away and complained of pain. However, A continued driving for around 30 minutes without taking any particular action, such as calling the 119 emergency number, before dropping B off at a bus stop in front of Yongin Public Bus Terminal, according to the investigation.
B reportedly suffered a serious injury, fracturing a vertebra in the accident, and was diagnosed as needing 12 weeks to recover. B is receiving treatment.
After receiving a complaint from B’s side and examining relevant statements and the circumstances of the accident, police determined that the allegations against A were substantiated. A police official said, “We plan to refer the case to the prosecution service soon, having determined that there are grounds for the charge.”
Under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, anyone who injures a victim in a traffic accident and then leaves the scene without providing aid faces at least one year in prison or a fine of 5 million to 30 million won.
Meanwhile, complaints about sudden starts and stops continue to be filed. The Gyeonggi-do Bus Transportation Business Association’s traffic inconvenience complaint board reportedly receives around 1,000 complaints a month about reckless driving, including sudden stops, sudden starts and speeding, as well as discourteous service.
[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter