Man with prior fatal crash record gets 4 years for drunk driving, fatal hit-and-run

A 70-year-old man in South Korea has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing a fatal accident while driving under the influence and then fleeing the scene. The court found him guilty of charges including hit-and-run causing death and driving without a license.

The incident occurred on April 9th of last year when the man, while intoxicated, struck and killed a 70-year-old cyclist on a road in Changwon City. Instead of remaining at the scene, he asked a passerby to report the accident and then left before emergency services arrived. Investigations revealed that he had also been caught driving without a license on two separate occasions after his license was suspended following the fatal collision.

Initially, police did not charge him with hit-and-run, believing he had stayed at the scene until the ambulance arrived. However, prosecutors later determined that he had acted to conceal his drunk driving and fled the scene. They added the charges of hit-and-run causing death and driving without a license, leading to his trial.

The court acknowledged the defendant's prior conviction in 2019 for a fatal accident, for which he received a fine. It also noted the profound grief and suffering of the victim's family, who urged for a severe punishment. However, the court also considered the man's remorse, his admission of most of the charges, and the fact that he returned to the scene later to confess to the police. These factors were taken into account when determining the sentence.