Man with prior fatal crash record gets 4 years for fatal DUI hit-and-run on neighbor

A 70-year-old man, previously convicted for a fatal traffic accident, has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing another death while driving drunk and then fleeing the scene. The Changwon District Court handed down the sentence on charges including violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

Mr. A, the accused, was driving under the influence of alcohol when he struck and killed a neighbor, Mr. B, who was riding a bicycle. Mr. B was taken to the hospital after residents reported the accident but succumbed to his injuries, including traumatic head injuries. While Mr. A had consumed a bottle of soju before the incident, his blood alcohol content at the time of the accident did not meet the legal threshold for drunk driving charges, resulting in a non-prosecution for that specific offense.

Adding to his charges, Mr. A was also prosecuted for driving without a license on two separate occasions in June and September of the previous year, after his driver's license was revoked following the hit-and-run incident. His past offenses include a fatal car accident in 2019.