Former Official Involved in Ikebukuro Car Crash Dies in Prison at 93

Nov 26, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Kozo Iizuka, a former senior official convicted in a 2019 car crash in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, that killed two people and injured nine others, has died at the age of 93. Iizuka passed away in October, reportedly due to natural causes.

The crash occurred in April 2019 when a car driven by Iizuka went out of control, killing a mother and her young daughter and causing injuries ranging from minor to serious for nine others. Iizuka was found guilty of negligence resulting in death and injury, as he was deemed to have mistaken the accelerator for the brake. Following his conviction, Iizuka was sentenced to five years in prison and had been serving his sentence.

Takuya Matsunaga, who lost his wife and daughter in the incident, commented on X: "I extend my heartfelt prayers for his repose. What we as a society must do is not to continue criticizing him but to learn from this tragedy and work together to prevent such incidents in the future."

Source: テレ東BIZ

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