A 54-year-old traffic policeman in Bangkok was killed in a car accident involving an allegedly drunk taxi driver on Sunday while he was directing traffic for a charity run event, officials said.
The accident took place at 6am, when Pol Sub Lt Atsada Chamniansri, deputy traffic inspector at Bang Khen station, was on duty at the city bus terminal in Bang Khen district.
The policeman was struck by a taxi and taken to Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital where he was pronounced dead later.
The taxi driver, identified only as Warabutr, 40, was taken to Bang Khen station for questioning.
He was found to have 287 milligrammes per decilitre (mg/dL) of alcohol in his system, which far exceeds the legal alcohol limit of 50 mg/dL.
He was initially charged with reckless driving causing death and driving a public transport vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
Warabutr admitted that he was driving home from drinks with friends in Huai Khwang when the accident took place. But he insisted he was not intoxicated and remembered what happened.
He said while he was driving past the scene, Pol Sub Lt Atsada abruptly walked in front of his car.
He said he attempted to avoid hitting the policeman but was unsuccessful.
Separately, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Piyanant Sisua, who was critically injured in a car accident in Lop Buri during the Songkran festival, died on Sunday morning, according to the Police General Hospital (PGH).
The policeman, who sustained severe brain injuries from the accident, was moved to the PGH for surgery on April 18.
His condition deteriorated on the night of April 27 and he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning.
The accident took place at 6pm on April 16 on Highway 21 in Lop Buri's Phatthana Nikhom district when Pol Snr Sgt Maj Piyanant, a highway policeman who was directing traffic, was struck by a pickup truck.