Tragic last ride: Bangkok taxi driver found dead at gas station
A taxi driver was discovered dead in his vehicle at a gas station in Bangkok’s Jomthong district. The incident occurred early this morning, February 28, and the circumstances surrounding the driver’s death are currently under investigation.
The gas station on Kalapapruek Road became an unexpected crime scene this morning when a 59 year old taxi driver, identified as Sathian (surname withheld), was found lifeless in his pink Toyota cab with license plate ทห943. The vehicle was parked with its engine hood open, and the driver’s door ajar, near the station’s restroom facilities.
Sathian was found in a semi-reclined position in the driver’s seat, wearing a white shirt and brown three-quarter-length shorts. There were traces of blood on his lips, and no signs of a struggle were evident. Near the vehicle, additional bloodstains were located near a tree on the path to the restroom, where a half-empty beer bottle was also found near the driver’s side door, reported KhaoSod.
Closed-circuit television footage from the gas station revealed that Sathian had driven into the station around 6am, opened the vehicle’s hood, and made two trips to fill water for the radiator before entering the men’s restroom. He returned to his car, stepped out to vomit, and eventually lost consciousness beside the vehicle.
Kanokwan (surname withheld), the 29 year old deceased driver’s daughter, stated that her father, who suffered from a lung disease, had been out driving the taxi overnight and was supposed to return home in the morning. Despite his condition, hospital examinations had not yet pinpointed the exact cause of his illness. Sathian had been carrying his medication with him regularly.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kanchan Sawasdee, Deputy Inspector (Investigator) at Bang Khun Thian Police Station, and volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation responded to the scene, along with forensic doctors from Siriraj Hospital.
The body was sent for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The family was allowed to claim the body for religious rites following the preliminary investigation.
