In Nonthaburi, a village headman driving a van collided with a grilled squid vendor’s vehicle, knelt to apologize to the victim’s mother, and expressed regret. Meanwhile, the deceased’s husband lamented having no money even to hold the funeral and questioned whether the alcohol test was conducted too late.
On 23 Sep 2026 GMT+7, reporters covered a tragic accident where a van crashed into a sidecar motorcycle owned by Miss Pimpitcha Panphu, 31, and Mr. Sithathorn Toncharoen, 31, a married couple selling grilled squid and meatballs in front of a gas station on Lat Pla Duk Road, Nong Prongyai Subdistrict, Sai Noi District, Nonthaburi Province. Miss Pimpitcha died at the scene, while Mr. Sithathorn was seriously injured.
At that moment, a bystander’s video captured the perpetrator, wearing a shirt with a logo resembling a government agency, attempting to leave the scene without taking responsibility. The perpetrator claimed to have checked and seen that the victim had died, while bystanders followed and recorded the incident.
After more than 10 hours, Mr. Peerapong, 39, a village headman and the van’s driver, went to the Sai Noi Police Station for questioning and to acknowledge legal charges. He insisted he was not drunk and did not flee, as previously reported.
At the latest update at Sai Noi Police Station, the perpetrator brought a steering wheel and incense to kneel and ask forgiveness from Mrs. Sompaen, 63, the victim’s mother, apologizing and saying the act was unintentional. However, the grieving mother firmly refused to accept the apology.
Mr. Peerapong said he came deliberately to apologize to the victim’s family, explaining that he was driving in the rain when he swerved to avoid a truck, lost control, and crashed into the vendor’s stall.
Earlier information revealed that after the accident, Mr. Peerapong left the scene without helping, even when villagers opened umbrellas and followed him, urging him to return. He only said, “She’s dead,” which may be why the victim’s mother refuses to forgive him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sithathorn, the injured husband suffering from a broken spine, fractured skull, and temporary amnesia, arrived at Sai Noi Police Station in a wheelchair to file additional charges against Mr. Peerapong for fleeing the scene, adding to four other charges including causing death, serious injury, and property damage by negligence. The family demands 35 million baht in compensation because the deceased supported six people: her mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and three children. Mr. Peerapong requested 15 days to consult his family and denied all charges, preventing insurance funds from being paid.
The widower lamented he has no money even to hold his wife’s funeral and does not know where to find it. He also questioned the police’s delayed alcohol test, which happened about 10 hours after the accident, asking if that was too late. He said he lost his beloved and wonders if they will meet again in the next life.
In the investigation, police will seek to identify and question the truck driver from CCTV footage, following the van driver’s claim that the truck cut him off, causing the accident, to proceed with legal action.
At Yen Jai Pavilion, Sri Ruang Boon Temple in Nonthaburi, where the funeral rites for Miss Pimpitcha were held, monks gave sermons before the cremation ceremony at 17:00 GMT+7. The deceased’s middle son, 8-year-old novice monk Jaosua, performed the ordination ceremony for his mother. He told Thairath TV reporters, “Today I ordain to make merit for my mother; I miss her.” Observers noted that Mr. Peerapong, the perpetrator, did not attend the ceremony.