Toddler takes the wheel: SUV crash kills two children in Buriram
A female SUV driver crashed and killed two children, aged nine and 13, on a motorcycle in the Isaan province of Buriram on Saturday, March 22. The SUV driver’s two year old child reportedly sat on her lap and grabbed the steering wheel, leading to the crash.
The fatal accident was reported to officers at Satuek Police Station and the rescue team at about 6pm on Saturday. The grandmother of the two victims, 62 year old Thongchan Wa-ngam, was seen hugging one of her grandchildren, 13 year old Naruemon, also known as Money, and crying uncontrollably.
Thongchan immediately asked the officers to search for her nine year old grandson, Punyaphat, also known as Namo, who had gone missing.
Thongchan explained that her grandchildren were travelling on a motorcycle to a noodle shop near their home. Only 50 metres away from home, the red Toyota Fortuner SUV moved quickly from the opposite lane and crashed into their motorcycle right in front of her.
The SUV then veered into a dried water pond on the side of the road. Officers checked the damaged SUV and found the driver, 43 year old Pirun Prasertdee, and her two children, aged two and 12, were safe. Beneath the SUV, officers found the body of Namo, adding to the tragedy of the incident.
Thongchan reportedly approached Pirun, angry, to ask about the cause of the accident. Thongchan later gave an interview to the media in which she stated that the woman allowed her two year old child to sit on her lap while her older child sat in the passenger seat next to her.
Pirun turned her attention away from driving to her older child, leading the younger child on her lap to play with the steering wheel, which suddenly turned the car and caused the crash that killed the two victims.
Pirun disputed Thongchan’s account, saying her two year old child was sat securely in the car seat and did not play with the steering wheel as alleged.
Pirun claimed that her younger child was in the car seat next to her, while her older child was seated in the back. Just before the accident, her younger child had vomited, prompting her to turn around and ask her older child to clean it up.
Pirun added that she initially believed all the terrible events were part of a dream, only realising the gravity of the situation when the airbag hit her face. She insisted that she would compensate Thongchan for her tragic losses.
Officers attempted to retrieve footage from Pirun’s dash cam; however, Pirun admitted that no video was recorded because she had previously removed the camera’s memory card. The reason for the removal was not mentioned.
Matichon reported that the grandmother of the two victims would receive at least 3 million baht in compensation from the car insurance.
The grandmother maintained that she cared for the two children alone, without any support from their parents. According to Matichon, the mother and father of the two victims arrived at Thongchan’s home after the accident.
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