Marathon runner who was left brain-dead after being hit by a truck dies

A runner in their 20s who was left brain-dead after being hit by a truck during a marathon in North Chungcheong died on Sunday.

According to the city of Cheongju, the victim — an athlete affiliated with the city’s municipal athletics team — passed away at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday while receiving treatment at a hospital.

The runner was struck on Nov. 10 around 10 a.m. while taking part in a marathon in Okcheon County. The person was hit by a one-ton Porter truck driven by an individual in their 80s and suffered severe head and upper body injuries, resulting in brain death.

At the time, only the second lane of a two-lane road was closed to traffic for the marathon. The truck, which had been traveling in the first lane, reportedly changed lanes and crashed into the runner at a speed of 57 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour).

The driver told police they were looking at a traffic signal about 100 meters (328 feet) ahead of the crash site and failed to notice the runner.

Police plan to refer the case to prosecutors without detention, changing the charge to fatal injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]