Son Runs Over and Kills Mother After Alms-Giving Stop

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

A family holiday turned into heartbreak, when a 47-year-old struck and killed his own mother with a van after stopping for her to give alms to monks. The incident occurred early morning in the Ban Tat area of Udon Thani province.

At around 07:00 on 11 July, Police Lieutenant Jenwat Witayaratichottrakun, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) at Non Sung Police Station, responded to reports of a fatal incident on the Ban Tat–Suksomboon Road near Ban Tat Forest Monastery in Moo 1, Ban Tat subdistrict.

Upon arrival, police found the lifeless body of a 75-year-old woman, Mrs. Patum, a resident of Bangkok, lying face-up on the roadside. Nearby, her distraught son, Mr. Nawee 47, also from Bangkok, was in a state of deep shock, overwhelmed by grief and blaming himself for the incident.

A Hyundai 11-seater family van, registered in Bangkok, was discovered crashed into a roadside tree a short distance away.

According to Mrs. Phon 65, the daughter of the deceased, the family of eight had travelled from Samut Prakan to Udon Thani for a holiday during the long weekend. That morning, the family had planned to make merit by giving alms and offering candles for the Buddhist Lent.

She explained that they initially drove into the temple but found it too crowded. They then decided to drop their mother off at the roadside to offer alms to monks passing by. She successfully gave offerings to six monks while waiting for her son, Nawee, who had driven off to find a place to turn around and return.

As he came back to collect his mother, he suddenly lost control and accelerated toward her, striking her directly. Another sister, who was standing nearby, narrowly escaped injury by leaping out of the way. The family was devastated. “We never imagined that bringing our mother on holiday would end with us having to take her body home for funeral rites,” said Mrs. Phon.

Police have recorded the incident and sent the body to Udon Thani Hospital for autopsy. Officers are continuing the investigation and plan to interview the driver and witnesses in detail. For now, the driver has been preliminarily charged with reckless driving causing death.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-07-12