The elderly couple who were injured in a recent road rage incident in Pathum Thani province rejected a hospital visit from the perpetrator, a local politician's son, on Sunday.
Smitthiphat Leenawarat, 28, and his father Krissada arrived at Bangpakok-Rangsit 2 Hospital in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani, on Sunday to visit Prachak Duangyai, 65, and his wife Somsri, 64.
Mr Smitthiphat also carried 200,000 baht in cash as he intended to pay for the treatment of the couple who were injured after he sideswiped his brand-new BMW car against their pickup truck, which then hit a media barrier of Bangkok’s eastern outer ring road in Pathum Thani on Thursday. Ms Somsri was slightly injured but her husband suffered a broken rib, possibly due to the impact of the airbags and safety belts in their vehicle.
When hospital staff informed the elderly couple of the arrival of Mr Smitthiphan and his father Krissada, the couple said they were not ready to meet Mr Smitthiphat.
Mr Smitthiphat said he wanted to pay for the treatment of the couple as he learned that the costs reached about 80,000 baht for Mr Prachak and 50,000 for Ms Somsri.
Following the rejected visit, Mr Smitthiphat wrote a letter to the elderly couple. He told them that he wanted to pay a visit and he promised to cover all their treatment costs until they fully recover.
Meanwhile, Yupayao Leenarawat, Mr Smitthiphat’s mother, wrote on Facebook that her family was ready to take responsibility for the injuries and the damage to the couple’s vehicle.
She apologised for the incident and admitted that she and her husband had not taught their son well enough. He was hot-tempered, she said.
She asked the public to sympathise with her family and not to reject it.
Meanwhile, activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, alias Gun Jom Palang, said he and his foundation granted 60,000 baht to help pay for the couple's treatment after he learned that the their family needed to borrow funds to cover the hospital bills.
Mr Guntouch said that the treatment costs had already risen to 134,305 baht.
Last Wednesday morning, the couple in their pickup truck and Mr Smitthiphan in his brand-new BMW car reportedly left a toll plaza on Bangkok’s eastern ring road simultaneously. The couple’s truck reportedly cut into the lane of the BMW, which then swerved and hit a barrier.
Mr Smitthiphat then drove after the couple, seeking to have them pull over. When the couple did not stop, he sideswiped the front left side of the truck with his car. The impact caused the pickup to hit a barrier and come to a stop.
Mr Smitthiphat then got out of his car and approached the couple, but numerous eyewitnesses also stopped their vehicles and managed to mediate between the two sides while others videoed the incident. The couple were sent to Bangpakok-Rangsit 2 Hospital.
Mr Smitthiphat and his family were running for seats in the Thanyaburi municipal council. Police have already pressed multiple charges against him.