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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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 Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 4:06 am Post subject: South Korean pile-up kills 11 |
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Sad way to start a holiday...
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/10/03/skorea.crash.reut/index.html
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South Korean pile-up kills 11
October 3, 2006
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- Eleven people were killed and 50 injured on Tuesday in a fiery 30-vehicle pile-up on a South Korean highway at the start of a national holiday week, police said.
Two trucks collided on a bridge about 70 km (45 miles) southwest of Seoul, blocking the road and squeezing vehicles between reinforced barriers designed to prevent them from falling off the overpass, police said.
The crash triggered a fire and many victims suffered severe burns as well as crash injuries, rescue officials said.
The crash came as millions of South Koreans traveled to meet relatives for the Chusok (Harvest Festival) holiday week. |
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huffdaddy
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 4:39 am Post subject: |
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A fuller report.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200610/kt2006100318415010160.htm
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By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
At least 11 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a massive pile-up involving about 30 vehicles on an expressway along the western coast, police said.
Cars and trucks crashed into each other in thick fog along the West Sea Grand Bridge near the Pyongtaek section of the West Coast Expressway, 70 kilometers southwest of Seoul, in one of the worst road accidents in recent memory.
Police said that the pile-up was caused by the collision of a 25-ton truck and a 1-ton truck heading northbound to Seoul at around 7:50 a.m. on the motorway.
Other vehicles _ including buses, lorries and a trailer carrying six passenger cars _ in the same lane crashed into the trucks as they skidded and became mangled up in the middle of the 7.3-kilometer-long bridge.
The death toll increased as more than 20 of the vehicles went up in flames, with firefighters struggling to rescue the trapped drivers in the foggy conditions.
The injured were taken to six local hospitals near the area, including the Chungang Songsim Hospital in Pyongtaek and the Inje University Paik Hospital in Tangjin _ many of them are in critical condition, police said.
``At the time of the accident, the thick fog prevented drivers from seeing more than 300 meters away. However, it seems that the 25-ton truck that caused the accidents and other buses and trucks were driving too fast under such conditions,'' said an official from the Korea Highway Corporation, which manages the state-built road.
The incident forced police to close off a section of the expressway linking the southwestern port city of Mokpo, South Cholla Province, and Seoul, late through the afternoon. The police deployed 12 trailer cars to clear the scene and pull the mangled cars away.
The accident created severe traffic congestion for motorists traveling to meet their families and relatives for Chusok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving that falls on Oct. 6. |
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poker player
Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: On the river
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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I live about 1/2 hour south of that bridge. I drive to Seoul about twice a month and am always extra careful on that bridge as the cars fly by me like I'm standing still and I'm doing 120 (Speed limit there is 110). I came over that bridge about the same time as the accident only thank goodness it was the day before. It was foggy and I couldn't believe how fast all the vehicles including buses and trucks were going. And now this happens-what a terrible tragedy caused by speeding in foggy conditions.
I just don't understand why there are no police cars on the highways enforcing speed limits. The camera system to catch speeders is useless, not a deterrent, just a money grab. I have been passed a number of times by cars that must be going at least 200km/h. When I mentioned this to a Korean co-worker I couldn't believe his answer "It's part of our culture" WTF? If this is true then I guess nothing is going to change and people will keep dying on the roads expressing their culture. |
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matesol
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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"However, it seems that the 25-ton truck that caused the accidents and other buses and trucks were driving too fast under such conditions,'' said an official from the Korea Highway Corporation, which manages the state-built road."
What would happen to "Professional Drivers" in the west if such an event occured? Personally, I think that if you are a "Professional Driver" and you are in an accident involving death, and the accident could clearly have been avoided if the "Pofessional Driver" had be more professional, then that driver should never be allowed to drive any vehicle for a living again. (He can have a personal driver's license, not a pofessinal one.) The dead don't get a second chance. Neither should irresponsible "Professional Drivers."
Just my $0.02. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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| poker player wrote: |
I live about 1/2 hour south of that bridge. I drive to Seoul about twice a month and am always extra careful on that bridge as the cars fly by me like I'm standing still and I'm doing 120 (Speed limit there is 110). I came over that bridge about the same time as the accident only thank goodness it was the day before. It was foggy and I couldn't believe how fast all the vehicles including buses and trucks were going. And now this happens-what a terrible tragedy caused by speeding in foggy conditions.
I just don't understand why there are no police cars on the highways enforcing speed limits. The camera system to catch speeders is useless, not a deterrent, just a money grab. I have been passed a number of times by cars that must be going at least 200km/h. When I mentioned this to a Korean co-worker I couldn't believe his answer "It's part of our culture" WTF? If this is true then I guess nothing is going to change and people will keep dying on the roads expressing their culture. |
In an article that I read in the late 90s, a spokesperson for the Korean embassy in Washington explained to a reporter that South Korea being (at that time) number one in deaths caused by traffic accidents (per capita) is due to the poor state of roads in Korea. Made me laugh. The only time we don't have potholes in the roads in Canada is when the roads are covered in snow and ice, which can be 6 months out of the year. The reason there are so many traffic accidents is because of the high population density, the widespread disregard for road traffic rules and safety, and the relative inexperience of most drivers (few Koreans had cars before the late 80's). All of this could be corrected with proper enforcement, but I wouldn't expect that to happen while Roh is still president. As a matter of fact, I think the number of police cruisers on the road has decreased since he was elected. |
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