Purr-fect excuse: British driver blames cat for crashing BMW into Phuket restaurant
A British man yesterday claimed that he swerved to avoid hitting a cat, causing him to crash his BMW into a house and a restaurant on Kwang Road in Phuket.
A Thai owner of a som tum stall on the Kwang Road in the Wichit sub-district of Phuket called officers from Wichit Police Station and rescuers from the Ruam Jai Phuket Foundation to the scene of the accident at 2.55am yesterday, April 27. The scene was a residence, with its front operated as a food shop.
Police reported that the white BMW sedan, bearing the registration plate ขท 2252, crashed into the restaurant and came to a stop at the front door of the house. Fortunately, the vehicle did not crash into the living quarters, and no one inside the house was injured.
The BMW driver, a 50 year old British man named Richard, sustained minor injuries. His 48 year old girlfriend, Danielle, suffered a head injury and required immediate first aid. Both were transported to Dibuk Hospital for further medical examination and treatment.
Richard later told police that he was travelling from the Kathu sub-district of Phuket to his accommodation in the Chalong sub-district. He claimed that a cat suddenly ran across the road in front of his vehicle, causing him to swerve to avoid hitting it and ultimately crashing into the restaurant.
The couple and the restaurant owner were escorted to the police station to discuss and agree on the terms of compensation. It was not disclosed how much compensation the restaurant owner was seeking from the foreign couple.
Many Thai netizens expressed scepticism regarding the cause of the accident and urged the police to review the BMW’s dash camera footage to verify whether the British driver’s account was accurate. Some netizens also demanded that police conduct an alcohol test on the driver to confirm his sobriety.
Two netizens alleged that previous incidents had involved the same white BMW. One Thai man claimed that the BMW driver had previously cut him off in traffic, while another alleged that the same driver had earlier crashed into three parked baht buses in the Rawai area.
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