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A “secondary accident” took place early on the 4th when a vehicle collided with a traffic accident cleanup area on the West Coast Expressway. In this incident, a police officer involved in traffic management and rescue efforts at the scene, along with a tow truck (wrecker) operator, lost their lives, while nine individuals, including paramedics, were injured.

A report from the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency stated that a rear-end collision involving passenger vehicles occurred around 1:23 a.m. on that day at the 73 km point on the northbound section of the West Coast Expressway in Goseong-myeon, Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province (heading toward Seoul). Upon receiving the report, highway patrol units, 119 emergency medical teams, and tow trucks quickly arrived at the location to manage the incident.

Throughout this incident, an SUV repeatedly struck passenger cars that were parked at the accident location, vehicles being towed, and individuals present at the scene. The secondary collision resulted in the death of Officer A, a member of the highway patrol in his 50s, and tow truck driver Mr. B, who was in his 30s and had been sent to the site. A paramedic in his 40s, who was also dispatched to the location, suffered severe injuries and is currently receiving medical care at a hospital.

Eight individuals, comprising two drivers from the main accident vehicle Granzer, a further paramedic, and a family of five in the GV80, the vehicle responsible for the incident, suffered minor injuries. The collision also resulted in property damage valued at 7 million Korean won according to the fire department, with one passenger car entirely destroyed by fire. On the day of the accident, 22 vehicles, including a fire helicopter, along with 63 firefighters and police officers, were mobilized to manage the situation.

Authorities are examining the specific details of the incident, such as whether the SUV operator overlooked the previous accident location on the dark highway and whether there was a failure in maintaining proper attention or excessive speed.