Suspected drunk pickup driver kills father of two in Chon Buri
A pickup truck driver rammed into a motorcycle and killed the rider on a road within a residential community in Chon Buri on Saturday night, January 24. Witnesses suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
Dashcam footage from a parked vehicle captured the fatal crash in Soi Ban Kao 12 in the Panthong district. The footage shows a black pickup truck travelling at high speed before crashing into a motorcycle ahead. Both vehicles then slammed into an electricity pole, causing a power outage in the area.
The motorcyclist was later identified as 35 year old Narongdate Somjit. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup driver, whose identity was not disclosed, sustained serious injuries and remains under close medical care at a hospital.
One witness told police that the pickup driver repeatedly honked his horn at four to five motorcycles travelling ahead of him. The other riders moved aside to give way, but Narongdate did not. Several witnesses said the pickup driver appeared to be driving as if he were under the influence of alcohol.
The Superintendent of Panthong Police Station, Chairatchakit Chaipatiwat, said the pickup driver is currently too seriously injured to be questioned or formally charged.
Regarding the suspected drink-driving, the superintendent said police are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test from the hospital before proceeding with legal action.
Narongdate’s wife, 34 year old Natcha Kajohnmaneechot, told Channel 7 that the couple had two children and that her husband was the family’s sole breadwinner.
Natcha said she suspects her husband and the pickup driver may have been involved in a road dispute before the crash and believes the collision may have been intentional.
She added that neither the pickup driver nor his family has contacted her to offer any form of responsibility or apology.
Without any communication from the driver’s side, Natcha said she will pursue legal action to the fullest extent of the law and insisted that she will not drop the case or agree to any negotiation.
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