PATTAYA, Thailand – A pickup truck driver who crashed into a roadside streetlight on the railway road in Nongprue, Banglamung, early on October 13, left the wrecked vehicle and disappeared before returning more than 20 minutes later in a change of clothes. The crash occurred at about 2.30am near the Phai Thong curve on the railway road towards Chonburi. Rescuers from Sawang Boriboon were alerted and coordinated with Banglamung police to inspect the scene.
Officers found a bronze-grey Toyota Revo pickup with severe front-end damage. A nearby streetlight had also been struck and damaged, but the driver was nowhere to be found. Witness Nareekarn Jupamatang, 26, said she saw the pickup travelling at high speed before hearing prolonged braking and watching it crash into the streetlight. She ran over to help, but the driver said nothing, got out and disappeared. She suspected someone had picked him up.
A short time later, an older man arrived at the scene, but the witness said he was not the same person who had been driving. More than 20 minutes after the crash, the original driver returned wearing different clothes and accompanied by an insurance representative before meeting investigators.
The driver reportedly told officers he had panicked, walked home to change clothes and then returned to face the charges over damage to public property. He declined to explain to reporters why he had left the scene. Police took him to complete the required records and proceed with the case under the law.
