The ongoing issues between USFK servicemembers and taxi cab drivers in Uijongbu continues:
A 2nd Infantry Division sergeant was found guilty in Uijeongbu court and sentenced to one year in South Korean jail for using his car to strike a taxi driver after a traffic accident.
Sgt. 1st Class Marlowe Davon Howard of Division Special Troops Battalion, Alpha Company, will appeal the Sept. 3 sentence because he believes he is not guilty, an employee working for the soldier’s defense attorney said Thursday.
Uijeongbu District Court Judge Jang Chul-ik ruled that Howard struck a taxi with his car while driving in Dongducheon in December, court officials said Thursday.
After the taxi driver got out of the car, Howard then struck the driver with his car and continued for about 800 yards with the taxi driver dangling from the hood, according to court officials. [Stars & Stripes]
It is hard to speculate on this without more information but it is doubtful the sergeant would be sentenced to jail if he would just pay the compensation. The cab driver wants $4,400 in compensation money which SFC Howard is refusing to pay because he believes he wasn’t at fault for what happened and that the taxi cab driver was not seriously injured after the accident. We’ll see if SFC Howard is playing his card correctly after the appeal ruling because just paying $4,400 now to be done with this case seems a lot better then spending a possible year in ROK jail.
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2:09 am on September 14th, 2008 1
Ack! 800 yards?
GI’s in Korean Prison: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26828&archive=true:
5:59 am on September 14th, 2008 2
What I learned in my traffic incident- which I was not at fault- was that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay up.
It was a f***ed up situation where I absolutely knew the other party was at fault, but I couldn’t really prove it. The circumstances made it look like I had done something wrong and “witnesses” were of no help to my case.
The Korean woman was uninjured, but claimed (faked) serious neck injury and wanted 5 million Won. The only thing I could do was spend weeks of stressful negotiations to get her to accept 1.5 million.
It totally sucked and I just wanted to kill this lying idiot.
Had to bit the bullet and pay up.
Sounds like someone should tell this guy to do the same!
7:02 am on September 14th, 2008 3
Right. Deliberately drag somebody with your car for 800 yards and it wasn’t your fault. Even though it *may* look like attempted murder to some crazy Korean people like myself.
7:39 am on September 14th, 2008 4
Sounds more like the Korean guy jumped on the guy’s hood to get him to stop and it didn’t work out so well.
I’ve seen that before.
3:14 pm on September 14th, 2008 5
Maybe the good sergeant should use the you-must-understand-my-situation card. This maybe a lesson for the rest of us as well. If you’re in an accident 50/50 or more to their fault, start claiming all sorts of injuries until you either get the other party to drop their ridiculous suit or cash in. When in Korea, right?
3:19 pm on September 14th, 2008 6
Damned either way…it is a bitter pill to swallow, but he needs to decide if it is worth a year in jail to prove that he is innocent.
I have found that the best way to deal with Asians when it comes down to this, is to do what you have to do in order to extricate yourself from the incident and never look back, as you are leaving their country. Asia has changed drasticly over the years, and I am beginning to wonder at the sanity of trying to maintain bases in countries where we are nothing but targets for moochers.
5:15 pm on September 14th, 2008 7
Some Koren’s are very dishonest. This is how to combat this.
Don’t get into a car wreck.
If you do, you need to immediately injure yourself if you are not already. If the incident turns into an altercation, pull the Korean person down on top of you and hold them there for quite a long time. After about 5 minutes, let them go and roll over onto your stomach and pound your face into the ground and then scrape it against the ground. Make things look as awful as you can. When you show up in court, you should have cast on every limb, have an IV drip and have someone push you in a wheel chair. Have fun with it…..
9:30 pm on September 14th, 2008 8
I got in an accident years ago and got screwed for 5,000,000 won. So if I get in an accident I will fall on the ground, hold my neck, scream and play the Korean bullshit insurance scam too!
4:38 am on September 15th, 2008 9
My buddy’s wife got into an altercation with a couple of drunk Korea customers at an after hours joint. They were fine at the police station but after they saw an american pick her up they showed up at court sporting faces that looked like they had been professionally beat up. She had to prove that she at 110 lbs didn’t kick their collective asses.
7:20 am on September 15th, 2008 10
I’ve posted here before regarding my own experiences stopping to render assistance and being blamed for a wreck. Witnesses came forward with some truly amazing lies. I have no idea why the Sergeant in this case claims he is innocent but I’m guessing he knows the facts bear no relation to the charges and he knows it and is hoping justice will prevail and he also probably still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny too. Anyone who has ever been involved in this type of situation know that Korean witnesses will literally say anything if a GI is involved and become serious fiction writers if the situation involves an African-American soldier.
Clearly the sergeant has a strong sense of justice and while I admire his resolve and willingness to bet his life on the Korean system, that is not a bet I would be willing to take for $4400 or ever $44,000. Agree with those who have posted who have been there, done that. Pay the bucks Sergeant and make this go away or brush up on your Korean for “please sir, I’d like another.”
9:55 pm on October 26th, 2008 11
[...] have posted before about the USFK sergeant who refused to pay compensation money to a taxi driver due to an accident [...]