A speeding BMW, being driven by an intoxicated motorist, slammed into a tuk-tuk in Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi province early this morning, immediately killing the tuk-tuk driver and two elderly passengers.
The crash occurred at approximately 4.30am near the entrance to Soi 12 inside a residential estate in Sano Loi sub-district. Officers from the Bang Bua Thong Police Station, accompanied by Ruamkatanyu Foundation rescue workers and forensics experts, rushed to the scene following reports of the collision.
CCTV footage captured at 4.08am shows the tuk-tuk picking up two passengers from Soi 12 and turning right towards the front of the housing estate. Moments later, a black BMW sedan travelling at high speed violently rammed into the back of the three-wheeled vehicle before losing control and crashing into a roadside tree.
The impact completely overturned and destroyed the tuk-tuk. The three victims were the 37-year-old female tuk-tuk driver and her two passengers, aged 77 and 82. Approximately 20 metres away, the black BMW was found with its front end severely crumpled and its airbags deployed.
The 32-year-old BMW driver, who appeared heavily intoxicated, was found waiting at the scene to give a statement to the police.
He told officers that he was returning from watching a World Cup football match at a restaurant on Ratchapruek Road and promised to take full responsibility for the incident, noting that his vehicle was insured.
He refused, however, to answer questions from the victims' grieving relatives regarding whether he had been drinking.
Namploy, 38, the niece of the two elderly victims, said her aunts were regular tuk-tuk passengers and were on their way to sell traditional desserts at the Bang Bua Thong market. She recalled hearing a loud collision from inside her home and rushed out to find the wreckage, adding that she intends to pursue the driver to the fullest extent of the law.
Rungsak, 49, the husband of the deceased tuk-tuk driver, said his wife had been providing transport for the two elderly women to the local market for several years and expressed profound grief over the sudden loss, stating that he is now left alone to support their two school-aged children, who are currently in Grade 7 and Grade 3.
A preliminary breathalyser test conducted by the police revealed that the BMW driver had a blood alcohol concentration of 152mg%, well over the legal limit.
The driver is now in custody at the local police station.
