Hit-and-run driver who killed sanitation worker claims she drank after the crash

A driver in her 50s who struck and killed a sanitation worker cleaning streets in the early morning hours and fled the scene was arrested while intoxicated — but told police she had only started drinking after the crash.

Gwangmyeong Police Station arrested the suspect, identified only as A, on charges of fatal hit-and-run under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and is investigating the case, Yonhap reported Saturday.

A is accused of striking a sanitation worker employed by Geumcheon-gu in Seoul while driving on Anyangcheon-ro near Haan-dong in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, then fleeing without rendering aid. The victim had been cleaning a drainage channel at the time.

The victim was rushed to a hospital in cardiac arrest immediately after the collision but died.

Officers responding to a report from another driver analyzed nearby CCTV footage to track down the vehicle and arrested A at a residence in Haan-dong, Gwangmyeong, at around 7:50 a.m.

A was found to be intoxicated at the time of the arrest. The suspect claims to have returned home and consumed alcohol after the crash, and police are investigating whether A was driving under the influence at the time of the incident.

Police are examining dashcam footage from the vehicle involved and nearby CCTV recordings to determine the exact circumstances of the crash. They are also reviewing whether to apply for an arrest warrant.