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| ▲ Firefighters inspect the site of a car crash near Jonggak Station in central Seoul on Jan. 2, 2025, which killed one pedestrian. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) car crash-probe
(LEAD) Taxi driver placed under arrest over deadly crash, tests positive for morphine
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SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- A taxi driver in his late 70s was placed under emergency arrest Saturday over a deadly crash in central Seoul that killed one person after testing positive for morphine, police said.
His electric taxi first struck a car on a street near Jonggak Station at around 6 p.m. Friday, then collided with a traffic pole at a crosswalk before hitting another vehicle and plowing into pedestrians.
Police said no signs of drunk driving were found, but morphine was detected in a preliminary drug test on the suspect.
Authorities plan to request the National Forensic Service conduct a detailed analysis as some cough medicines containing morphine could trigger a positive result in preliminary drug tests.
One woman in her 40s was killed in the crash, and 13 others were injured, including five pedestrians, three passengers in the taxi and five people riding in two other vehicles. None of the injured are in critical condition, according to authorities.
The crash has renewed concerns about the growing number of elderly taxi drivers, who are more likely to be involved in accidents because of slower reaction times and age-related declines in vision and hearing.
According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, 53 percent of the 69,727 taxi drivers registered in Seoul are aged 65 and older.
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