A speeding car hit a woman in Buriram, throwing her body 20 meters. A good Samaritan on a motorcycle chased the vehicle until it was found abandoned at a temple. The car belongs to a monk newly assigned to reside at the temple. Police searched the monk’s quarters and found only a bottle of white liquor and a plate of food; the monk himself is missing without a trace.
Reporters said that at about 18:00 on 27 Oct 2026, Pol. Lt. Col. Chanti Wannupatham, investigator at Mueang Buriram Police Station, received a report of a car striking a pedestrian with serious injuries on a village road in front of Ban Khok Charoen Temple (Sattha Tham), Village 15, Ban Yang Subdistrict, Mueang District, Buriram Province. Emergency medical services from Buriram Hospital were immediately called to provide urgent assistance.
At the scene, officers found Ms. Rujikorn, also known as Kimji, Sammasida, 21, a local resident, unconscious and without vital signs. Rescuers performed CPR to try to save her life before rushing her to Buriram Hospital, where she later died. The offending vehicle was a bronze silver Toyota sedan registered in Surin. After the collision, the driver fled immediately without stopping to check on the victim.
Mrs. Sanan Nokyothin, 49, the victim’s aunt, tearfully recounted that before the incident, she and her niece were gathering dried rice by the roadside into sacks. As they were about to return home, the speeding car suddenly came and struck with a loud crash. At first, she thought it hit an object, but the car accelerated and fled. When she called for her niece, there was no response. Upon looking, she found her niece’s body thrown nearly 20 meters away, lying motionless in a pool of blood. She immediately called the authorities. Another eyewitness driving behind confirmed seeing the car hit the woman violently in front of them, causing her body to be thrown into the air before the car brazenly fled the scene.
Mr. Kwanchai Ruangpaisan, 28, a good Samaritan eyewitness, chased the offending car on his motorcycle while recording video evidence on his phone. He said the car circled around and headed toward downtown Buriram as if aware it was being followed. He chased it for almost an hour until the car was found abandoned inside Sri Sawang Temple, Village 16, Isan Subdistrict, Mueang District, about 5 kilometers from the accident site. He immediately notified police, who inspected the vehicle but found no driver.
Recently, reporters visited Sri Sawang Temple and learned the car belongs to Phra Itthirit, also known as Phra Dao Duangmala, 55, a monk newly assigned to reside there. Another monk said he usually saw Phra Dao regularly using this car. On the day of the incident, around 19:30, he saw Phra Dao park the car at the temple and walk into his quarters. Later, villagers and police came to inform that the car had hit someone fatally. When authorities accompanied them to Phra Dao’s quarters, he was nowhere to be found and had been missing since the previous night until morning.
Additionally, police found a bottle of white liquor and a plate of larb moo (spicy minced pork salad) inside Phra Dao’s quarters. Authorities have not confirmed whether these items are related to the time before or after the incident.
Currently, Buriram City Police have seized the vehicle for examination and are gathering evidence from surveillance footage along the route and video from the good Samaritan. Investigators are urgently searching for Phra Dao to bring him in for detailed questioning to determine if he was the driver at the time. They aim to prosecute according to the law and ensure justice for the victim’s family.
