Phuket car accident: Retired officer’s wife crashes into vegetarian festival stalls

A severe car accident in Phuket’s Talat Nuea district left one person dead and eight others injured. The incident involved a Mercedes Benz, driven by the wife of a retired senior police officer, who claimed she experienced dizziness and a blackout and mistook the accelerator for the brake, leading to the fatal crash.

The Phuket car accident occurred on Ranong Road, a one-way street lined with several vegetarian food stalls ahead of the annual vegetarian festival.

The Mercedes Benz C300, in a silver bronze colour, lost control and collided with pedestrians, a pickup truck, motorcycles, and food stalls. The front of the car was significantly damaged, the bumper dislodged, and the driver-side windscreen shattered, leaving a hole the size of a human head.

Today, reporters at the scene described the aftermath of the car accident. The area had been cleared, and the usual activities, including the preparation of vegetarian food for the festival, were in progress.

A 56 year old woman, Kophan, the owner of a fresh spring roll stall who witnessed the car accident, described it as a horrifying scene. The car first hit two to three motorcycles, then collided with three stores, and finally struck pedestrians before stopping.

The deceased, a pedestrian who was walking with his wife and child, was identified at the Phuket City Police Station. Phuket City Police Deputy Investigation Chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Sarawut Chotisuwan and Pol. Lt. Col. Romtheera Suwanphan, the Deputy (Investigation) of Phuket City Police, along with Phuket Provincial Evidence Verification officials, inspected the Mercedes Benz and the other vehicles involved in the car accident.

Lt. Col. Sarawut disclosed that those injured are still receiving treatment at Vajira Phuket Hospital, while some with minor injuries have been treated and have given their statements to the investigation officers.

The driver of the Mercedes Benz, the wife of a retired senior police officer, is recuperating at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Preliminary findings suggest that she had a blackout and became dizzy, leading to her pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.

The investigation into whether she was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident is ongoing. Charges of reckless driving resulting in death and injuries have been filed against her, reported KhaoSod.

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