An elderly couple were injured when a BMW driven by a member of a prominent political family hit their pickup truck on Bangkok’s eastern outer ring road in Pathum Thani province on Wednesday morning.
The injured people were identified as Prachak Duangyai, 65, and his wife Somsri, 64.
Video of the incident went viral online and the BMW driver’s behaviour drew a rebuke from the national police chief.
According to reports, the black pickup and the BMW left a toll plaza in Thanyaburi district at the same time. As the number of lanes narrowed, the truck cut in front of the brand-new white sedan which then swerved and hit a barrier.
The BMW driver chased after the pickup and gestured for it to stop. Ms Somsri said she and her husband apologised to the “furious” man but did not stop as they feared for their safety.
The BMW then pursued the truck and swerved in front of it, clipping the left front of the pickup. The impact sent the pickup crashing into a median barrier, where it stopped. The incident was captured on the dash cam of another vehicle.
Ms Somsri said her and her husband suffered injuries from their seatbelts and airbags. She said she was slightly injured but her husband had cracked ribs and was admitted to an intensive care unit.
The driver of the BMW was identified as Smitthipat Leenawarat, 28. He is a younger brother of Manasanan Leenawarat, a Pheu Thai MP for Pathum Thani, and his father is Thanyaburi mayor Krissada Leenawarat. Mr Smitthipat is running for a seat in the tambon Thanyaburi municipal council in next month’s elections.
Mr Krissada visited the injured couple at Bangpakok-Rangsit 2 Hospital in Thanyaburi on Thursday. He told reporters that he had not spoken with his son yet but his son’s friend told him that it was an accident.
“I feel sorry that there is such a driver on the road,” the national police chief said. “What if there had been a young child? Anyone who behaves like this will find it difficult to exist in this society.”
