Police officer, tow truck driver killed while responding to traffic accident

A car is damaged due to a crash at the Seohaean Expressway near Gochang in North Jeolla on Jan. 4. [JEONBUK FIRE SERVICE]

 
A police officer and a tow truck driver were killed after they were struck by a vehicle while responding to a traffic accident on a highway.
 
Three vehicles collided near the Gochang Interchange on the northbound lanes of the Seohaean Expressway at around 1:23 a.m. on Sunday, according to authorities.
 

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The initial accident occurred when a drunk driver’s vehicle came to a stop in the first lane. The two cars behind it subsequently crashed into each other.
 
While responding to the scene, a police officer and a tow truck driver were hit and killed by a speeding SUV.
 
Nine others were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. The injured included the SUV driver, four members of the driver's family, two emergency medical personnel and other motorists involved in the initial collision.
 
Police suspect the SUV driver fell asleep at the wheel and plan to charge the person with fatal injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the crash.


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]