Journalist found dead in car after aiding Thai accident rescue

A tragic incident unfolded yesterday when a 44 year old journalist, identified only by his first name, Pairin, was found dead in his vehicle, which was parked in the middle of a road in Pathum Thani Province. The cause of death remains undetermined, but no signs of violence were apparent on the body.

The journalist had recently been involved in a rescue operation, providing first aid at a motorcycle accident site just 1 kilometre from where his lifeless body was later discovered.

Police Lieutenant Woman Channikarn Sathiaraichai, the deputy investigator at Sam Khok Police Station, was notified yesterday February 29, of a death inside a vehicle on Road No. 347 at the 7-kilometre mark in the Chiang Rak Yai subdistrict of Sam Khok district, Pathum Thani Province. Channikarn and volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, along with forensic scientists from the Ministry of Justice, quickly arrived to investigate, reported KhaoSod.

They found a Nissan Navara pickup truck with the Bangkok license plate ฒศ-7285, still running, equipped with a siren on its roof and displaying an Insight Police magazine sticker on its side. Pairin was in the driver’s seat, slumped towards the left. A preliminary examination by forensic officers did not reveal any injuries suggesting foul play, leaving the actual cause of death yet to be determined.

Panawat Kesakom, a volunteer from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, shared that he had last seen the deceased around 4am. The deceased had been the first on the scene of a motorcycle accident opposite Wat Traphang, where he rendered first aid and directed traffic, appearing to be in good health at that time.

The radio centre’s notification of death inside a vehicle that morning led Panawat to the scene, where he discovered it was the same individual with whom he had worked earlier.

Channikarn, in coordination with the forensic scientists from the Ministry of Justice and the investigative team, took photographs at the scene for evidence. The Poh Teck Tung Foundation volunteers transported Pairin’s body to the forensic institute to determine the true cause of death.

A similar event was reported two days ago. In Bangkok’s Jomthong district, a taxi driver was found dead in his vehicle at a gas station. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is underway.