Pickup driver arrested after killing Bangkok road sweeper

UPDATE

Police arrested a pickup driver involved in the hit-and-run incident that killed a Bangkok road sweeper yesterday morning. Officers managed to get the man after the driver took his vehicle to get repaired at a local garage in the area.

Police revealed three pieces of evidence were left at the scene, a black bumper bar and broken parts from a headlight and fog light.

Officers checked CCTV cameras in the area and tracked the suspect when his pickup went to get repaired. Damage to the vehicle’s headlights and fog lights was consistent with the evidence at the crime scene.

An officer contacted the owner of the car who confessed to the crime.

The 30 year old male suspect, Akkapon Nima, was arrested at his house in Soi Ratpattana 30 in the Saphan Sung district, the same area where the incident happened.

Akkapon confessed that he took his eyes off the road to check his mobile phone and hit something. He claimed that he did not know what he hit because it was dark.

According to Thairath, Akkapon tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

The pickup driver was charged under Section 291 of the Criminal Laws related to offences against life and body: causing other people to die by an act of negligence. The penalty is imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 20,000 baht.

The Director of the Saphan Sung District Office, Saowaluck Wayanan, hailed the swift police operation in capturing the suspect.

Saowaluck urged relevant departments to make CCTV cameras more accessible in every area of the city to make the search for offenders easier and quicker.

ORIGINAL STORY: Bangkok road sweeper dies in hit-and-run

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to pay 1.6 million baht in compensation to the family of a road sweeper who died in a hit-and-run incident on Kanchanapisek Road in the capital yesterday. The driver is on the run and there was no CCTV camera footage at the scene.

The 59 year old woman road sweeper, Somsi Yimchalam, was hit by a car while she was working with other colleagues on Kanchanapisek Road at about 4am yesterday.

Somsi’s lifeless body was found five metres away from the pavement. Her brush, broken into three pieces, lay by her side with the car’s black bumper.

Somsi’s colleagues told police they started work at 4am. They walked and swept the pavements but soon noticed that Somsi did not walk with them. They tracked back and found Somsi’s dead body on the roadside.

Khaosod reported that there were no CCTV cameras located near the scene and there were no witnesses to the incident because it was in the early hours of the morning.

Investigating officers from Bang Chan Police Station made known they would check CCTV cameras on nearby roads to see if they can identify the suspect’s car.

BMA spokesperson Ekwaranyu Amaraparn revealed that Somsi worked from the Saphan Sung District Office and was about to retire on her 60^th birthday. The BMA appreciated her hard work and would compensate the family accordingly and as quickly as possible.

Somsi’s family will receive funeral expenses of about 63,000 baht, a death gratuity of 441,210 baht, a special pension of 630,000 baht, a cremation grant of 364,000 baht, and 100,000 baht from her life insurance. The total compensation amounts to about 1.6 million baht.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt met Somsi’s family yesterday and gave the family a gift of 5,000 baht.

The 56 year city chief called for the suspect to hand himself over to the police.

“You know you committed the crime. Surrender yourself to the police. This is unacceptable. Bangkok will try to prevent this from happening in the future.”

Last week, Thai road sweepers were handed new uniforms in a neon yellow colour to help raise safety standards and prevent car accidents like this from happening in the future. The uniform is still under a soft launch.

Unfortunately, Khaosod reported that Somsi had not been issued the new uniform. She was wearing the old dark blue uniform with a reflective vessel.