Lorry Driver Takes His Own Life Amid Financial Struggles in Chonburi

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from responders.

 

A 32-year-old lorry driver struggling with financial difficulties was found dead in the bathroom of his home in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi, after reportedly taking his own life with a firearm. His grief-stricken father expressed deep sorrow, saying he wished he could have died in his son's place.

 

The incident occurred at around 05:10 on 1 February, when police from Huai Yai Police Station received a report of a suspected suicide at a house in Soi Thetsaban 1, Soi 20. Officers, along with forensic experts and rescue workers, arrived at the scene to investigate.

 

The house, a steel-framed structure with a metal sheet roof, had a modified pickup truck parked outside, along with parts of a trailer and water tanker.

 

In the bathroom, officers found the body of Pichitchai Kaewampai, a resident of Chachoengsao province, lying in a pool of blood. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the right temple, with the bullet exiting through the top of his head. A firearm was found near his left knee, and his mother and wife were seen weeping uncontrollably beside him. His father, overwhelmed with grief, tearfully pleaded that he should have died instead of his son.

 

According to his 25-year-old wife, Narisa Saetang, Pichitchai worked as a lorry driver. The night before the incident, he had been drinking heavily while having dinner with his family. As the night progressed, he reportedly fired a gunshot into the air before entering the bathroom, where he took his own life.

 

Narisa revealed that her husband had been deeply distressed about his lorry, which had been undergoing repairs for several months, leaving him without an income. She believed this financial strain was the primary reason for his mental distress.

 

A witness, 21-year-old Chayanat Onmek, a friend of the deceased's wife, stated that he saw Pichitchai holding a gun to his head moments before he entered the bathroom. He immediately called out to Pichitchai's mother for help, but before she could intervene, a single gunshot rang out, and Pichitchai collapsed.

 

Police, led by Lieutenant Colonel Prakasit Paladej, conducted a thorough examination of the scene and sent the body to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital for an official autopsy.

 

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress or depression. Seek out help.

 

-- 2025-02-02

 

 

[Georgealbert]