A Thai road sweeper yesterday sustained serious injuries after being struck by a car driven by a drunk Mexican man on Southern Pattaya Road.
Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were alerted to the accident at approximately 7am, yesterday, November 18, and rushed to the scene, near a petrol station on Southern Pattaya Road. The victim, identified as 22 year old Suchada Phipasook, was found lying in a pool of blood on the footpath.
Suchada, a member of the Norramon Supply Company, which is contracted by Pattaya Municipality, was reportedly cleaning the road at the time of the incident. Her boyfriend, 29 year old Apichai Prakobsaeng, was found crying beside her.
Suchada’s broom, dustpan, and other cleaning equipment were destroyed in the crash. Details of her injuries were not disclosed in the report. Rescuers from the Sawang Borribundham Foundation provided first aid at the scene before transferring her to a nearby hospital.
The driver, later identified as 34 year old Mexican national Choo Caballero, fled the scene in a white Toyota Fortuner SUV with a damaged bumper. A Good Samaritan pursued Caballero and managed to stop him.
Police quickly apprehended Caballero to prevent a confrontation with the victim’s friends and locals, who gathered at the scene. A breathalyser test revealed Caballero had a blood alcohol level of 77 milligrammes per cent, exceeding the legal limit of 50 milligrammes per cent.
Apichai told police that Suchada was cleaning the road when the speeding SUV hit her, throwing her into the air before she landed on the footpath. Caballero reportedly fled without stopping to check on her.
Police are reviewing CCTV footage of the incident and will conclude the case after further investigation. Details of the charges and potential penalties against Caballero have not yet been released.
In a similar case last year, a Thai man crashed his pickup truck into a 59 year old female road sweeper, Somsi Yimchalam, and killed her on Kanchanapisek Road in Bangkok. The driver initially evaded arrest but was eventually caught when he brought his vehicle to a garage for repairs.
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