Probation officer with severe diabetes crashes car on Bangkok road

An officer from the Department of Probation crashed his car in the Tha Phra Tunnel in Bangkok yesterday morning. Despite having a can of beer, the police found no traces of alcohol in his system. The reported cause of the incident was attributed to his acute diabetes

Officers from Tha Phra Police Station and the Por Teck Tung Rescue Foundation were notified of the car accident and rushed to the scene at 9.20am yesterday, November 28. Upon arrival, officers found a white Honda Jazz sedan overturned in the middle of the road, while a red Mazda CX3 sedan with a damaged rear bumper was parked nearby.

The overturned Honda displayed significant damage to its front bumper, windows, and wheels. However, the driver, 52 year old Suwate Muknin, emerged unscathed. Suwate seemed drowsy and couldn’t provide any information to the officers. Upon their arrival, he was found holding a can of beer.

The driver of the Mazda sedan and his girlfriend were also unharmed. The driver reported that he had parked his car on the side of the road to buy food from a roadside shop, and Suwate crashed into his car. He decided to get out of the car to talk to Suwate. He knocked on the driver’s side window but Suwate remained silent and would not step out of the car.

The driver said that he inspected his car and found no damage. Consequently, he decided to proceed with his journey as his girlfriend was in a hurry for work. Additionally, the driver harboured concerns about Suwate potentially carrying weapons or illicit items in his vehicle, prompting him to leave the scene to avert potential danger.

Providing further details, the driver explained that Suwate trailed him until they reached the tunnel. Suddenly accelerating and shifting to the left lane, Suwate collided with the back of the driver’s car, causing Suwate’s vehicle to overturn. The driver noted Suwate’s fortune in avoiding other passing cars at that moment.

Alcohol/drug test

Subsequently, the police accompanied Suwate to the police station for interrogation and an alcohol test. Although Suwate reportedly tested negative for alcohol, he appeared disoriented and unable to respond to police queries. As a precaution, he was transported to the hospital for a blood test to ascertain the presence of alcohol or drugs in his system.

The news Facebook page, Drama-addict, later reported that Suwate was tested twice to try and find alcohol and drugs in his system but the tests confirmed that his system was clean.

However, the medical professionals discovered that Suwate suffered from diabetes and had been on insulin treatment for a long time.

Before driving, Suwate revealed that he injected insulin as normal. Unfortunately, he fainted while driving because of the low level of sugar in his blood. He added that he did not drink the can of beer in the car. He bought it in preparation for drinking it while watching football at home.

There was no update on whether Suwate faced any charges for causing the accident.