By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo
A taxi suddenly accelerated out of an outdoor car-wash center in Seoul, Saturday, killing one person, injuring five and damaging 11 vehicles.
Police are investigating the cause of the deadly sudden acceleration. The taxi driver, surnamed Ahn, 70, is said to have been sober.
The accident happened in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, at around 4:40 p.m. The taxi was slowly moving out of an outdoor car-wash machine, when, according to the driver, the vehicle “suddenly galloped forward shortly after he turned the steering wheel left.”
The car rammed six cars in the compound, five on the road and struck a man standing nearby. The man was rushed to hospital, but he died. Five passengers in the damaged cars were injured.
“An investigation is under way,” said a police officer. “We are working to identify the cause (of the accident) with multiple sources of evidence, including footage from the taxi’s dash cam.”