5 year old girl killed in accident between electric tricycle and pickup
A Thai man crashed his pickup into an electric tricycle, which reportedly made a sudden turn, killing five year old girl and injuring a 20 year old woman on the Nong Bua Lamphu-Nonsang District Road in the Isaan province of Nong Bua Lamphu at 11.30am on December 16.
Mueang Nong Bua Lamphu Police Station officers were called to the bridge on the road, and they discovered a destroyed electric tricycle and its parts strewn on the road. Witnesses reported that the 20 year old rider of the electric tricycle was injured and taken to the hospital while her niece, 5 year old girl named Por, was missing from the scene.
Police and rescuers searched for Por until they found her in the roadside forest 15 metres away from the accident scene. She was pronounced dead at the scene with a serious head injury.
A black Isuzu pickup involved in the accident was parked on the bridge. The pickup had impact marks on the left side of its front bumper. The driver, a Thai man named Thanawat, turned himself in at the scene. His wife and child were in the car.
Thanawat said that the driver of the electric tricycle suddenly turned and cut off his car. He could not avoid the tricycle and crashed into it. Thanawat refused to release his dashcam footage to the public and refused to give further interviews to the media.
Witnesses corroborated Thanawat’s confession, saying they saw the woman turn right at the same time as the pickup approached. Locals said the woman was not supposed to be riding the electric tricycle, which had a low speed, on the road, which is always busy.
The aunt of the injured woman later arrived at the scene. She revealed to police that the woman and the 5 year old girl informed her that she would pick her up at the plantation near the scene. She waited for a long time, but the two did not arrive. She noticed the emergency car drove past and decided to check on them.
No charges had yet been filed by the police against either party. Both sides were later summoned to the police station for questioning after the woman’s condition improved.
