Truck hits front runner in South Korean marathon, leaving him brain-dead

SEOUL – A runner has been declared brain-dead after being hit by a truck during a marathon in North Chungcheong Province, news reports said on Nov 11.

The 25-year-old athlete was leading the race at the time.

At around 10am on Nov 10, while participating in the race on a two-lane road in Okcheon, the runner was struck by a truck that suddenly crossed from the first lane into the second. The latter had been closed to traffic for the marathon, according to police and fire authorities.

A police patrol car was escorting the runners about 20m to 30m ahead, and the crash occurred when the runner was at the front of the pack, leaving other participants unharmed.

He suffered serious head injuries and was taken to a hospital in Daejeon, where he was later pronounced brain-dead and has since been kept on life support.

The runner was a promising athlete who joined the Cheongju City Hall athletic team in August, achieving strong results in several marathon events.

The race was part of an intercity competition organised by the North Chungcheong Athletics Federation and other related organisations.

The three-day event features about 300 runners competing on a 77.5km course that started in Yeongdong, passes through Okcheon and Boeun counties, and ended in Cheongju. The organisers immediately called off the event following the accident.

Police said that the truck driver, who is in his 80s, was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. During questioning, he told officers that he “simply didn’t see the runner”.

Police are investigating the exact cause of the crash.

“Several vehicles were travelling in front of the truck when the crash occurred, but traffic was not particularly heavy,” a police officer said. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK