3 traffic crashes in Taebaek, Gangneung and Goseong-gun leave 4 injured

Hiker in her 30s slips on wet trail on Seoraksan, rescued by stretcher after 6 hours 40 minutes

Vehicles back up on the southbound Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of the chuseok holiday. [Yonhap]
Vehicles back up on the southbound Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of the chuseok holiday. [Yonhap]

A series of traffic and mountain accidents struck communities across Gangwon Province on Friday, the chuseok holiday.

According to Yonhap and fire department authorities, a Sonata sedan and a motorcycle collided near Hwangjigyo Bridge in Hwangji-dong, Taebaek, at around 1:06 p.m. The motorcyclist, identified only as A, 61, suffered serious injuries to his face and other parts of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in Wonju.

Earlier, at around 10:57 a.m., three vehicles collided in succession near Gangneung IC on the Donghae Expressway heading toward Donghae, in Seongsan-myeon, Gangneung. The crash was triggered when a Passat sedan rear-ended a Sorento SUV. The Passat's driver, B, 74, and a passenger, C, 73, complained of pain in their backs and arms and were taken to a hospital.

At around 10:17 a.m., a motorcycle struck a K7 sedan on a road near a funeral home in Hyangmok-ri, Jukwang-myeon, Goseong-gun. The motorcyclist, D, 71, injured his right ankle and received hospital treatment.

Police are investigating the causes of the accidents.

An accident also occurred on a mountain. At around 5:57 a.m., a hiker identified as E, 34, slipped and fell on a rain-soaked trail while descending a section of Seoraksan between Socheong and Huiunggak shelter in Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Inje-gun.

Unable to walk due to tailbone pain, E was carried on a stretcher by a rescue team down roughly 7 to 8 kilometers from Huiunggak shelter to Seoraksan Sogongwon. The journey took about six hours and 40 minutes. She was subsequently taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile, traffic accidents during the chuseok holiday tend to result in more casualties than at other times of year. An analysis by the Korea Road Traffic Authority of accidents over the five chuseok holiday periods from 2021 to 2025 found that the number of casualties per 100 accidents stood at 165.8 during the holiday — 15.4 percent higher than the overall average of 143.7.


won@heraldcorp.com