Family loses suit against automaker over fatal 'sudden acceleration' accident
The father of a boy who was killed in a car accident caused by a sudden unintended acceleration in Gangneung in December 2022 cries after the trial in front of the Chuncheon District Court, Gangwon District, Tuesday. Yonhap
The family of a boy who was killed in a car accident allegedly caused by a sudden unintended acceleration lost their civil suit against the automaker Tuesday.
The Gangneung branch of the Chuncheon District Court rejected the family's request for 920 million won ($647,000) in damages from KG Mobility over the death of 12-year-old Lee Do-hyeon in December 2022.
"The likelihood is high that the driver stepped on the accelerator after mistaking it for the brake, making it difficult to recognize that the accident was caused by a defect in the electronic control unit," the court said, referring to one of the plaintiff's arguments.
Lee was killed in Gangneung, about 170 kilometers east of Seoul, when the SUV he was riding in and driven by his grandmother spun out of control, allegedly due to sudden unintended acceleration.
Lee's father, Lee Sang-hun, vowed to immediately appeal the ruling, saying it amounted to choosing the manufacturer's reasoning over the truth.