![The scene where a car crashed through a retaining wall and fell from a church parking lot in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province. [Jecheon Fire Department]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/08/news-p.v1.20260608.eaa8506968874082ac9f667865a47554_P1.jpg)
A couple in their 70s have died after the car they were riding in crashed through a retaining wall and plunged from a church parking lot in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province.
The Jecheon Police Station said Monday it had booked the driver, a pastor in his 70s identified only as A, on charges of causing death under the Special Act on the Processing of Traffic Accidents. He was not detained and remains under investigation.
The car A was driving struck a retaining wall at a church parking lot in Yeongcheon-dong, Jecheon, at around 6:09 p.m. on June 5 and fell about 6 meters into a field below.
Of the five people in the vehicle, A and two others sustained minor injuries, while a couple in their 70s identified as B and his wife suffered serious injuries and were rushed to hospital. The couple died the following day while receiving treatment.
A and his wife were in the front seats at the time of the accident, while B, his wife and their son, who is in his 30s, were in the back seat.
A told police the vehicle had experienced sudden unintended acceleration.
However, CCTV footage from the church reportedly shows the car's brake lights did not come on until just before it struck the retaining wall.
Police have asked the National Forensic Service to analyze the vehicle's event data recorder and dashcam footage to determine the exact cause of the accident. They also plan to assess whether A may have mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
