Smitthiphat Leenawarat, a BMW driver suspected of being involved in a traffic collision in Pathum Thani on Wednesday, has been charged by police over the incident.
Pol Col Thiradet Chanlad, superintendent at Lam Luk Ka police station, said on Saturday that Mr Smitthiphat, 28, and his lawyer came to the station on Friday evening to formally acknowledge the charges against him.
Mr Smitthiphat has been charged by the police with assault causing bodily or mental harm, assault causing serious bodily injury, property damage and reckless driving.
Mr Smitthiphat may also face an additional charge of document forgery, Pol Col Thiradet said. Investigators have yet to find registration documents related to the car's red licence plate in the Department of Land Transportation database, which may be a red flag for the suspect, he said. Mr Smitthiphat's BMW has been impounded, pending further examination.
Mr Smitthiphat was granted temporary release as he voluntarily appeared at the police station to acknowledge the charges.
On Wednesday on the Bangkok's eastern outer ring road in Pathum Thani, Mr Smitthiphat's BMW sideswiped a pickup truck driven by 65-year-old Prachak Duangyai. Mr Prachak and his wife, Somsri, 64, were injured in the collision. Mr Prachak reportedly has six broken ribs and is currently in intensive care, while the condition of his wife was unknown.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Smitthiphat appeared on TV alongside his father, a former mayor of the Thanyaburi subdistrict municipality, to explain his side of the story. Mr Smitthiphat claimed he had unintentionally swerved into the pickup truck after slowing his car about 80–100 kilometres per hour after passing a toll gate.
He said the pickup truck had crossed into his lane, cutting in front of his vehicle and causing him to crash into a road barrier.
He said he then attempted to stop the truck for a discussion with the driver but his car collided with the truck while he was reaching below to retrieve an item. Mr Smitthiphat did not mention what the item was.
On TV, he described what happened as an accident and expressed his intention to cover the victims' medical expenses and offer financial support. "I deeply regret the accident and had no intention of injuring [the victims]," he said.
In addition to the charges related to the crash, Mr Smitthiphat was fined 6,000 baht for driving with an expired licence by highway police.
Smitthiphat Leenawarat