Singaporean Driver Charged After Phuket Crash Injures Traffic Officer

A Singaporean man has been charged following a road incident in Phuket that left a traffic police officer injured.

The accident occurred on the morning of March 18 at around 7:30am near the Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Si Sunthon Monument Roundabout on Thep Krasattri Road. According to authorities, a white pickup truck crashed into plastic traffic barriers positioned at the roundabout.

Footage shared on Thai social media shows the vehicle hitting the barriers, which were then pushed into a nearby officer. The impact caused the officer to fall, though he was able to stand up shortly afterward. The driver did not stop and left the scene.

The injured officer was identified as 52-year-old Police Senior Sergeant Major Chalermchai Sothong from Thalang Police Station. He sustained minor injuries, while eight traffic barriers were reported damaged.

Police traced the vehicle to a Thai woman, Pornphit Jitpraphat, and later confirmed that the driver was her 44-year-old Singaporean son-in-law, Tey Wee Keong Jonathan.

After being contacted through the vehicle owner, Jonathan turned himself in to police. He explained that he had been driving from Katu to his home in Sakhu and claimed he was unaware that an accident had taken place, only learning about it later from his mother-in-law.

Authorities have charged him with reckless driving, causing injury, and failing to stop and provide assistance. Under Section 78 of the Land Transport Act, these offences carry penalties of up to three months in prison, a fine ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 baht, or both.

Following his surrender, Jonathan was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for medical testing to determine whether alcohol or other substances were involved. Police stated that additional charges could be applied if intoxication is confirmed.

In a separate but similar case last July in Bangkok, a six-wheel truck driver ran a red light and fatally struck a traffic police officer riding a motorcycle in the Phattanakan area. The driver, however, denied the allegation, insisting the signal had turned green before he proceeded.