A man in his 40s was sentenced to four years in jail recently for dumping a severely injured man in an isolated area after running him over with his vehicle. The victim later died.

According to authorities on Sunday, the Seoul High Court sentenced the man, identified by his surname, Park, to four years in prison for intentionally leaving the man to die after he couldn’t find a hospital that was open.

In April, the 46-year-old man had been driving a van when he hit the victim, who had walked in front of his vehicle. The victim’s ribs and spine were broken.

Police said Park initially took the injured man to a nearby hospital, which was closed. On his way to another hospital he changed his mind and dropped off the victim, groaning in pain, in front of a greenhouse in a desolate area. The victim died of his injuries.

In handing down the sentence, the court said, “The defendant deprived the victim of his right to be rescued by abandoning him in a deserted area, instead of calling for an ambulance or taking him to the hospital.

“However, the decision was made considering the fact that the defendant regrets his action, based on a mistaken choice, and also as the bereaved families of the victim pleaded for mercy for the defendant in (return) for additional compensation,” the court added.

By Choi Ji-won (jwchoikr@heraldcorp.com)