Two women and one man were injured after a 78 year old Thai man crashed his electric SUV into the Guanyin Shrine at the Thian Fah Foundation on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Samphanthawong district today, October 1.
Police were alerted to the incident at around 1.13pm and attended the scene to investigate. Officers found a grey electric SUV with severe damage to its front end inside the shrine.
Three people were reportedly trapped beneath the vehicle, prompting rescue volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation to use hydraulic rescue equipment to free them before transporting them to Klang Hospital.
One of the injured women, 60 year old Wipa, reportedly sustained the most serious injuries. The other victims were identified as 21 year old Kerkchai and 27 year old Paeploy, who reportedly suffered minor injuries.
A 60 year old security guard, Worraphon Youngcham, told KhaoSod that around 30 people were visiting the shrine to pay their respects when the vehicle suddenly entered through the main gate at speed.
Worraphon said the SUV struck the area in front of the Guanyin statue, which was not damaged in the incident. He and several visitors narrowly avoided being hit by jumping out of the way.
The security guard also shared his personal belief that Guanyin’s protection had helped keep him safe during the crash.
Police identified the driver as 78 year old Chairoj, who was reportedly confused following the incident. During questioning, Chairoj told police that he had been driving to the shrine to pay his respects to Guanyin when he suddenly fainted and accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the vehicle to crash into the shrine.
Chairoj also told officers that he had high blood pressure. An alcohol test conducted at the police station returned a negative result.
Police initially charged Chairoj with reckless driving causing injury to another person. According to the report, the severity of the potential punishment would depend on the extent of the victims’ injuries.
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