Alcohol may be factor in fatal accident

The Department of Public Safety disclosed yesterday that alcohol may be a factor in the recent auto accident that claimed the life of one person and left two others severely injured.

According to DPS acting public information officer Capt. Pete C. Muna, the driver of the vehicle, 25-year-old Gyu Jin Kim, reportedly admitted to have consumed only two cans of beer prior to driving. She, however, refused to take the blood alcohol test.

Muna disclosed that investigation indicates that none of the three occupants of the vehicle were using their seatbelts, resulting in the extensive injuries.

Meanwhile, Muna noted that driving over the speed limit may also be a factor in the driver losing control of the vehicle, however, he did not confirm if the driver was speeding.

“The driver said she was following the speed limit, but an investigation is ongoing to determine whether she was speeding or not,” he said. “The matter is still being investigated by the DPS Traffic Section.”

At about 3:20am Monday, police responded to an accident along Beach Road Susupe.

The vehicle, a silver Toyota Tercel, was traveling on the northbound lane and reportedly geared off the road, striking a flame tree on the shoulder of the southbound lane by the Susupe Regional Beach Park. Road conditions were wet and slippery due to the rainy weather.

The front passenger of the vehicle, 21-year-old Jung Soon Lee, was found sitting sideways on the front passenger seat and was later pronounced dead on arrival at the Commonwealth Health Center.

The incident was the eighth auto-related fatality this year one more than the number recorded for the entire 12-month period last year.

Meanwhile, statistics provided by the DPS Traffic Section indicate that auto-related accidents in the Commonwealth have escalated in the first six months of this year, increasing by 7.43 percent compared to numbers from last year.

A total of 1,662 auto-related crashes were reported between January and June of this year, an increase of 115 cases compared to that of last year, which featured 1,547 accidents. The number is on pace to surpass last year’s total of 3,168 cases.

Of the 1,662 incidents, 245 occurred on January, 258 on February, 298 on March, 297 on April, 292 on May, and 272 on June.

Also, a total of 193 DUI offenses were recorded last year, 31 of which involved juveniles below 16 years of age to 20.