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Mother and baby die after patrol car fails to yield to ambulance in Busan

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 21:40

Public outrage erupted after a police patrol car in Busan failed to yield to an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman in critical condition, leading to the deaths of both the mother and her baby.

According to police reports on Wednesday, the incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Oct. 30 near Gudeok Intersection in Busan’s Seo District. A private ambulance was transporting the woman to Pusan National University Hospital after she was severely injured when a vehicle rolled over her abdomen in a traffic accident.

When the traffic light turned red, the ambulance stopped behind a police patrol car in the first lane and activated its siren, asking the patrol car to make way. The patrol car did not move. A tour bus in the second lane eventually cleared a path, allowing the ambulance to proceed. However, both the mother and her baby were later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police said the officer driving the patrol car did not have enough time to recognize the ambulance approaching from behind.
“The ambulance had been traveling in the second and third lanes before suddenly moving into the first lane, where the patrol car was stopped,” a police official said. “By the time the officer noticed it, the bus had already moved aside and the ambulance was passing through. The entire situation unfolded in just two to three seconds.”

The official added that the patrol car was boxed in by a median strip on the left, a large bus on the right, and a left-turning vehicle in front. “If the patrol car had moved, it might have actually blocked the ambulance’s path,” the official said. “Had the officers realized an ambulance was approaching, they would have escorted it or reported to headquarters to control the traffic signals.”

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]