The National Forensic Service has concluded that the driver was likely culpable in the recent car crash near Seoul City Hall that killed nine people, contradicting the driver’s claim of sudden unintended acceleration, police said Monday.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho disclosed the results of the forensic service’s analysis of the Hyundai Genesis sedan involved in the deadly accident and its event data recorder (EDR), submitted to the police last week.

The sedan darted in the wrong direction for some 200 meters on a one-way road near Seoul City Hall before crashing into sidewalk guardrails, hitting pedestrians and ramming into two other cars on July 1.

Nine pedestrians, most of them office workers nearby, were killed, while seven others sustained injuries.

The 68-year-old driver, surnamed Cha, claimed that the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration, saying that the brakes were “stiff” and did not function at the time of the crash.

The results from the forensic age
ncy reportedly found that Cha pressed the accelerator to 90 percent of its full capacity at the time of the accident.

The vehicle’s brake lights, which appeared to be illuminated, were reportedly just reflections from nearby buildings or the result of a flickering effect.

The Seoul police chief said that the police consider the forensic service’s findings to be close to the “concrete truth” and no further investigation might be needed regarding the cause of the accident, indicating that Cha would be held culpable for the deadly accident.

Police plan to further question Cha in light of the new findings, depending on his health conditions, Cho also said.

With broken ribs sustained from the accident, the driver has been in the hospital since the day of the crash and has been facing questioning there.

Source: Yonhap News Agency