PHITSANULOK: An elderly couple were killed when a car driven by their son veered off the road and hit a tree in Muang district on Wednesday. The driver's 10-year-old daughter was seriously injured.
Pol Lt Col Kamchad Chanthasen, a Muang duty officer, said the accident occurred about 11am on a ring road in tambon Chom Thong.
Killed in the accident were Pon Paopan, 70, who was in the front passenger seat, and his wife Chaweewan, 70, who was sitting in the back with their 10-year-old granddaughter Nathamon, who suffered severe injuries .
The driver, Champa Paopan, 51, told police he was taking his parents and daughter from Si Satchanalai district in nearby Sukhothai province to visit his younger brother, an inmate at Phitsanulok prison.
As they neared Phitsanulok town, he asked his father to hand him a bottle of water. When his father did so, the bottle hit his left elbow, causing his left hand to slip off the steering wheel.
The car veered onto the median strip and crashed into a tree, he said.
Police were still investigating the accident.