Thai driver kills deer with Mercedes Benz near Bangkok University campus
A Thai driver crashed his Mercedez Benz into a deer and killed it on Borommaratchachonnani Road near Mahidol University in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok yesterday.
Upon being alerted to the incident, officers from Phutthamonthon Police Station were quick to attend the scene where they discovered the lifeless body of a male deer. The deer had beautiful antlers and weighed about 80 kilogrammes.
Witnesses and a university security guard worked together to move the animal’s body out of the way and near the university entrance for further investigation into its origin.
About 100 metres away from the scene was a white Mercedez Benz C220. The front of the car and its left door were badly damaged. The driver and his wife waited for the police officers in the car.
The driver, 55 year old Worrapoj Saelim, reported that he and his wife were travelling to Bangkok when the incident occurred. He claimed that an unidentified animal had run across the guard rail and collided with his car. He got out of the car to check and was shocked to find that the animal was a deer. Worrapoj added that he had not expected to see a deer on such a busy road and residential area.
The police officer, Ekkasit Kongton, reported to KhaoSod that Mahidol University contacted the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) to assist with identifying the origin of the dead deer. The DNP confirmed that the dead deer was a Rusa deer. This species was not included on the protected animal list.
Locals in the area told police that the deer lived in the grassland nearby the accident scene. They notified the relevant departments about the deer and urged the officers to capture it. However, the operation was unsuccessful due to the vast area.
Authorities are currently trying to identify the deer’s owner. They suspect that the deer may have escaped from a nearby deer farm or could have fallen from a vehicle while being transported.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a deer has been involved in a traffic accident in Thailand. Two months ago, a wild deer was seriously injured in a collision with a pickup on the road in the eastern province of Rayong. The pickup driver, Pichet, reported that he could not stop in time when the deer was darting across Tasit-Pluak Daeng Road.
The collision caused huge damage to the pickup. A female passenger was injured in the accident as well.
