At Jeil Market in South Korea’s Bucheon, Gyeonggi province, few ever imagined that a truck would surge into the crowd, as one did on Thursday, killing two people and leaving 19 others injured.
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“The truck came barrelling in just as I stepped forward to help a customer checking radishes,” a vendor said. “If I had stayed where I was, I could have died. Later, I told her how grateful I was.”
Police have attributed the crash to driver error on the part of the 67-year-old at the wheel of the 1 tonne (1.1 ton) truck.
The incident has revived debate over tightening regulations for older motorists after a series of fatal accidents.
Last July, a 68-year-old driver struck pedestrians near Seoul City Hall, killing nine and injuring five. He claimed unintended acceleration, but an appeal court in August rejected the argument and sentenced him to five years in prison.
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