The driver and two elderly passengers of a tuk-tuk were killed when a BMW driven by a man returning home after watching the World Cup final hit their vehicle on a road in a housing estate in Nonthaburi early Monday morning.
The two women passengers, aged 77 and 82, were leaving home to sell desserts at the local market when the collision occurred at 4.30am on the main street inside a housing estate in tambon Sano Loi, Bang Bua Thong district.
Emergency responders called to the scene reported that three people were killed, including the tuk-tuk driver, who was also a woman. They were found beside the severely damaged tuk-tuk, which was lying on its side.
Nearby was a black BMW with a damaged front end jammed against a streetside tree.
Namploy, the 38-year-old niece of the two elderly victims, told local media she was at home and awake, and she heard the crash. She rushed outside and discovered that Aunty Pat and Aunty Lamai had been killed.
The 32-year-old BMW driver, identified only as Yossathorn, told her he also lived in the housing estate and was returning from a restaurant on Ratchaphruek Road where he had watched the World Cup final.
When asked whether he had been drinking, he did not reply, Ms Namploy said.
The BMW driver remained at the scene until police arrived and said he would take responsibility for his actions, local media reported.
According to Bang Bua Thong police, Yossathorn had a blood alcohol level of 152 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for driving is 50mg per 100ml.
Security camera recordings showed that he was driving at speed before crashing into the small open-air vehicle and losing control of his car, which then hit a tree.
The victims’ families were devastated by their sudden loss.
The tuk-tuk driver, identified as 37-year-old Prathum, had two children studying in Grades 7 and 3, according to her 49-year-old husband, Rungsak.
Mr Rungsak said his wife had picked up the two elderly vendors every day for many years and taken them to Bang Bua Thong Market.
He learned of his wife’s death from a motorcycle taxi driver and initially could not believe it. He was devastated when her death was confirmed and did not know what to do.
The couple had been together for more than 20 years and he now faces raising their two children alone - all because of a tragedy that should never have happened, Mr Rungsak said.
The BMW driver will be prosecuted, police said.
