Reckless Russian: Drunk driver kills Thai woman, injures man

A Russian man, reportedly drunk, crashed his car into a motorcycle in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning, killing a Thai woman and seriously injuring a Thai man.

Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation was alerted to a car accident on Sukhumvit Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya at about 4am today, May 21. They rushed to the scene and found two injured Thai people and two damaged vehicles including a Ford Everest SUV and a Yamaha Belle motorcycle.

The injured victims were identified as 28 year old woman called Mukjaree and 28 year old man named Boomphop. The two were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, but unfortunately, Mukjaree died at the hospital.

The driver of the SUV was identified as a 40 year old Russian man named Lomaski Artem. He waited for police at the scene and reportedly appeared to be drunk. Police have not yet confirmed the level of alcohol in his system.

A witness, 40 year old Somsak, told Channel 3 that the Russian man drove the SUV at a high speed and crashed directly into the motorcycle leading the two people on the bike to be thrown in different directions.

Police officers are now reviewing security cameras at the scene and nearby before concluding the case. Officers had not yet revealed whether they questioned the Russian driver. The charges against the foreign man remain undisclosed as well.

Based on the circumstances, the Russian man could be charged under Section 201 of the Criminal Law: reckless driving causing death. The penalty is imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.

In a related report, another foreigner, an Italian man, was charged for drunk driving in Phuket in April. He was caught riding a motorcycle while drunk, with the alcohol in his system nearly double the legal limit at 100 milligrammes percent.

Another recent major drunk driving case was reported at the beginning of this month when a former executive officer of Google Cloud kicked a police officer in the face after being arrested for drunk driving.