Police have requested an arrest warrant for the driver of a private ambulance involved in a collision last month in Wonju, Gangwon Province, that killed a middle school student walking on the sidewalk. The ambulance was not carrying any patient at the time of the crash, which occurred after it hit a passenger car.
Following the accident, a petition titled “Petition to Strengthen Oversight on Misuse of Emergency Vehicle Privileges in Pedestrian Fatality Accidents and Implement Intersection Safety Measures” was posted on the National Assembly’s public consent platform.
The petitioner stated, “Although the private ambulance was not transporting an emergency patient, the driver abused the status of an emergency vehicle for personal convenience. The ambulance did not reduce speed on a downhill road in a 60 km/h speed zone, and even entered the intersection straight from a right-turn-only lane. The privilege granted for the golden hour was misused for personal gain, and the result was the horrific death of a child.”
