Taxi driver of Seoul hospital crash tests positive in drug test

A taxi is battered after it crashed into a hospital in central Seoul on Wednesday, leaving three pedestrians injured. [NEWS1]

A taxi driver who crashed into a hospital in central Seoul on Wednesday, injuring three, tested positive in a simple drug test.

The driver, 70, tested positive for morphine — an opioid painkiller — in a simple reagent drug test administered after the incident, police said Thursday.

The driver claimed that he had been taking "various prescribed medications for health issues."

Around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, a taxi crashed into the National Medical Center in Jung District, injuring three pedestrians, one seriously.

The driver was attempting a U-turn to leave the parking lot after dropping off a rider when the crash occurred. The taxi also collided with four other vehicles.

The Seoul Jungbu Police Precinct booked the driver on Thursday and is currently investigating him for potentially violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

While simple reagent tests yield quick results, they can show fake positives for substances like methamphetamine or opium, even if the individual has only taken cold medicine beforehand.

In some cases, initial positive results were later negated by detailed analyses from the National Forensic Service (NFS).

The driver's prescribed medications, along with hair and urine samples, will be sent to the NFS for thorough analysis, according to the police.

Police are currently investigating the case with CCTV and black box footage.

He was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, officials said.

The driver claimed that the car suddenly accelerated, similar to a recent testimony by a 68-year-old man who caused a fatal crash near Seoul City Hall on Monday, which killed nine people and injured seven others.

BY CHAE HYE-SEON, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]