**First Trial: “High Possibility of Pedal Misoperation”**
A court has ruled against the responsibility of the vehicle manufacturer in a suspected sudden unintended acceleration accident that occurred in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, 2 years and 5 months ago, leading to the death of a 12-year-old child. The court determined the accident was caused by the driver’s “pedal misoperation.”
On the 13th, the Civil Division 2 at the Gangneung Branch of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Park Sang-jun) ruled against the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Lee Do-hyun’s family against KG Mobility (formerly Ssangyong Motor) demanding 920 million won in damages.
The court stated, “Even if the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) gives a wrong driving command, it is hard to say there was an error in the accelerator signal itself,” adding, “It is likely that the plaintiff mistook the accelerator pedal for the brake, so it is difficult to see the accident as a sudden acceleration caused by vehicle defects.”
The accident occurred on December 6, 2022, at 3:56 PM on the road in Hongje-dong, Gangneung. At that time, a vehicle driven by A (68) suddenly accelerated and fell into a drainage ditch, resulting in the death of the passenger, his grandson, Lee. The bereaved family argued during the trial that “the vehicle continued to accelerate abnormally for about 30 seconds during the accident,” and “it is unrealistic to assume the driver mistook the accelerator for the brake during that time.” They also claimed that a defect in the vehicle’s ECU software was the cause.
However, KG Mobility countered this by presenting the accident data recorder (EDR) analysis results indicating that the driver was in a “full throttle” state until the moment of the accident. Based on the analysis by the National Forensic Service, they rebutted, stating it was “a typical case of pedal misoperation.” The bereaved family is reportedly considering appealing the decision.