Bangkok Taxi Careers Into House, Killing Four

Taxi careers into house, killing four

BANGKOK: A taxi apparently trying to avoid colliding with another vehicle crashed through a telephone booth into a roadside home yesterday, leaving four people dead and two others injured, police said.

The accident took place early yesterday morning in front of Chokchai 4 market in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district, police said.

The dead – all of whom were travelling in the taxi – were identified as Ramkhamhaeng University students Jureerat Khwansi, 25, Chalermporn Donsawat, 23, and Jittima Maiwong, 20, and the taxi driver, 36-year-old Banjong Phudee.

Chaiwat Khwansi, 23, a passenger in the front seat of the taxi, was injured, as was Khomsan Somboon, 26, who was waiting for a bus near the scene of the accident.

The injured were rushed to Police General Hospital for treatment.

Police found Wichan Thongpat, 29, the driver of a Honda Civic, inside his vehicle 300 metres from the site of the accident. Eyewitnesses told police that Wichan had nearly crashed his vehicle into the taxi, which took evasive action, resulting in the accident.

Police made a preliminary charge of reckless driving against Wichan, who showed no signs of having been drinking when administered a breathalyser test.

--The Nation 2003-12-04