CHIANG RAI, Thailand – A doctor involved in a fatal road crash that killed two first-year Mae Fah Luang University students has admitted running a red light, saying he made the decision out of impatience while returning to his accommodation after work. The doctor appeared at Ban Du Police Station on Aug. 31 to give additional testimony and acknowledge the charges in connection with the Aug. 25 crash at Nang Lae intersection in Chiang Rai. The collision killed two students and injured another who was travelling with them on a motorcycle.
Speaking to reporters, the doctor said he had been driving back from work in central Chiang Rai when he approached the intersection. He said the traffic light was changing and, because he wanted to get back to his accommodation quickly, he accelerated through the intersection. He acknowledged that he had not braked and did not see the motorcycle waiting at the red light until the final moment. He said he attempted to swerve but could not avoid the collision. The doctor insisted that he had not consumed alcohol before driving. He said he had left work directly before the crash, while an alcohol test conducted after the incident recorded a zero reading.
After the collision, he said he checked himself for injuries before immediately going to help the victims. He said one person was still moving, while another appeared unconscious and had no pulse.
As a medical professional, he said he tried to assist the most seriously injured person, including supporting the victim’s neck and positioning the person to begin CPR. The doctor also addressed reports circulating on social media that he had asked for sympathy because he still had a future career ahead of him. He said he could not remember whether he had made such a remark or whether something he said had been misunderstood, but insisted that he had not intended to seek special consideration.
He said he had attended the victims’ funerals, helped with initial funeral expenses and attempted to communicate with their families. He acknowledged that the families were initially not ready to discuss the matter and said he had respected their wishes. He also said he would remain in the country, cooperate with the investigation and accept responsibility for compensation to the victims’ families.
Mae Fah Luang University’s School of Law said it had followed the case from the first day of the crash. The university initially focused on coordinating the return of the two victims’ bodies to their home provinces and has since established a working team to monitor the criminal proceedings.
The university said it would also coordinate welfare, insurance and compensation matters for the victims. Lawyers who are alumni of the university have been assigned to help the families pursue compensation under the law.
The university’s legal representatives stressed that the institution would not protect or assist the doctor simply because he is a member of the same university community.
A representative of the university’s School of Medicine also expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said university policy requires staff members who violate the law to accept responsibility and provide appropriate assistance to those affected.
The two students who died were first-year law students at Mae Fah Luang University. A third student who was travelling on the motorcycle survived and remains under medical care. Police and witnesses have said the motorcycle was waiting at the intersection when the car entered the junction.
Doctors treating the surviving student said the patient suffered injuries to the arms and legs as well as facial fractures. The patient’s vital signs remain stable, with no signs of neurological abnormalities, and doctors said the patient is now considered largely out of danger. Police are continuing the investigation into the circumstances of the crash and the driver’s actions before the collision. The case remains subject to the legal process.
