Runaway pickup injures 9 in Buri Ram

Runaway pickup injures 9 in Buri Ram

BURI RAM: Nine people were hurt, two seriously, when a speeding pickup truck crashed into 10 vehicles early yesterday.

Police initially learnt the driver, who remains at large, may suffer from schizophrenia.

Relatives of the driver yesterday contacted Pol Lt Col Aniruj Padoongdee at Buri Ram provincial police station to prepare to hand him over to police. It is not known if he has a licence to drive or is permitted to be on the roads.

The incident occurred around 1.30am when the speeding Mitsubishi Triton rammed into several motorcycles riding on a road in front of Buri Ram Rajabhat University.

Witnesses were unable to get a good look at the licence plate.

The pickup then sped off and struck another motorcycle and a police pickup truck parked on a road near the Lively market. It then rear-ended a car waiting at the lights at the Sensiri intersection in Muang district.

The driver did not stop and accelerated into another motorcycle at the intersection before fleeing. Many panicked passersby ran for safety.

Police who visited the scene found nine people injured, two of them seriously. A total of 10 vehicles -- eight motorcycles, one car and one police pickup -- were damaged.

Police and rescue workers gave chase but were unable to stop the speeding pickup.

Officers were examining images from closed-circuit security cameras until the relatives came forward.

Kanchana Teerasuwan, 33, told police that she and her son were inside their car, which was being driven by her husband when it was rear-ended in Muang district of Buri Ram.

They were returning home after selling goods at the provincial Red Cross fair and were waiting at the traffic lights at the Sensiri intersection when the car was hit.

The impact of the crash threw her son, who was sleeping in the back seat, into the front seat, she said.

Thawat Ponsen, another victim, said he and five other friends were riding home when the pickup truck rammed into their motorbikes in front of Rajabhat University.

Two of his friends were badly hurt: one suffered a broken leg and another had a serious head injury and was still unconscious.

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