GPS distraction sparks terror on a Phuket street as a white Toyota hits a food vendor and pedestrians. Six people are injured, including German children aged two and seven. The Thai driver, 53, faces charges as police examine possible taxi work.
A two-year-old German girl and a seven-year-old boy were among six people injured when a white Toyota ploughed into a roadside food vendor and pedestrians in Phuket on Monday afternoon. The 53-year-old Thai driver admitted looking down at her mobile phone’s GPS navigation system moments before the crash outside a Karon hotel. Police charged her with negligent driving causing injury and property damage, despite negative alcohol and drug tests. Meanwhile, all six victims, including three German visitors, were taken to Chalong Hospital. The driver was subsequently released, with medical bills and compensation outstanding. However, police have yet to confirm whether she was operating an app-based taxi service.
A Thai woman driving a white Toyota ploughed into a roadside food vendor and pedestrians in Phuket on Monday afternoon. Six people were injured, including two German children aged just seven and two.
The 53-year-old driver admitted looking down at her mobile phone’s GPS navigation system moments before the crash. Police subsequently charged her with negligent driving causing injury and property damage.
Despite testing negative for alcohol and drugs, she faces criminal proceedings over the collision. Meanwhile, all six victims were rushed to Chalong Hospital for treatment.
White Toyota strikes roadside vendor in Karon, injuring six people including two young German children
The accident occurred on Monday, 19 October, on Luang Pho Chuan Road, near the southern end of Karon Beach. Police received notification at approximately 3.50 pm.
The collision happened outside the Orchid Hotel, close to a massage business. Officers arriving at the scene discovered a white Toyota Corolla Cross on the roadside pavement. Nearby lay a damaged red Honda Wave motorcycle fitted with a sidecar used for selling fried meatballs.
Police identified the Toyota driver as Ms Sutthisa, 53, from neighbouring Phang Nga province. Her vehicle carried Bangkok registration plates, reportedly numbered 7 ขณ 8317.
Although the driver escaped injury, six other people were hurt when her vehicle struck the motorcycle and pedestrians. Among them were three German visitors, including a seven-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. The youngest victim was barely beyond infancy when the collision occurred.
German woman and two children among six injured after Toyota strikes Phuket roadside meatball vendor
The German casualties were identified as Kristina Rusch, 45, Erik Fast, seven, and Marie-Kristina Fast, two. All three were travelling together when the accident occurred. However, published police accounts did not establish their precise family relationships.
The three were walking in the area when the Toyota struck the roadside vendor. Subsequently, they were among the casualties transported to Chalong Hospital.
The three Thai victims were identified as Wiphawan Onthong, 36, Suphangmata Phothong, 50, and Prasit Samitanon, 33. Prasit operated a mobile food stall selling deep-fried meatballs. His business used a red Honda Wave motorcycle fitted with a sidecar.
The motorcycle was positioned beside the road when the Toyota approached. Moments later, the vehicle struck the motorcycle, triggering the collision that injured the nearby pedestrians.
According to the driver’s account, the Toyota initially struck the mobile food vendor. The impact damaged the motorcycle and sidecar before other people nearby were injured. Prasit suffered minor injuries, while the two Thai women and three German visitors were also hurt.
Emergency responders subsequently transported all six casualties to Chalong Hospital. Police described their injuries as minor, with no serious injuries reported in the initial accounts.
Driver admits checking GPS before Toyota strikes food vendor and pedestrians on Phuket tourist road
Nevertheless, the available reports provided no detailed medical updates concerning the two German children. Neither did they establish whether any of the casualties required further hospital treatment.
The six injured people comprised three Thai nationals and three German visitors. Five were pedestrians, while the sixth was operating the roadside food stall. The Toyota driver was the only person directly identified in the reports as escaping injury.
Investigators from Karon Police Station immediately examined the circumstances leading to the collision. Their questioning focused on the driver’s movements and her use of a mobile telephone. Sutthisa told officers she was unfamiliar with Luang Pho Chuan Road.
Consequently, she had been following directions using a GPS navigation application. The system was operating on her mobile phone as she approached the accident location.
The driver admitted looking down at the navigation map instead of watching the road. Within moments, her Toyota veered towards the roadside and struck the motorcycle. The impact subsequently involved pedestrians walking nearby. Crucially, her account placed the distraction immediately before the collision. Police examined that explanation alongside the damaged vehicles and evidence gathered at the scene.
Police charge Thai woman after GPS distraction as alcohol and drug tests return negative results
The driver said she had been checking the route because she did not know the road. Her attention shifted to the navigation application as she reached the location outside the Orchid Hotel. The Toyota then left its intended course and struck the roadside food vendor. As a result, the motorcycle operator and five pedestrians suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.
Meanwhile, officers conducted alcohol and drug tests on the 53-year-old woman. Karon Police Chief Police Colonel Pathapee Srichai confirmed that both tests returned negative results.
Even so, investigators proceeded with a negligent driving charge covering personal injuries and property damage. The charge followed police questioning and the driver’s admission that she had looked away from the road.
The damaged Honda Wave motorcycle was central to the investigation. Its sidecar had been adapted for selling fried meatballs beside the road. Prasit was operating the business when the Toyota struck the vehicle.
In addition, the collision involved pedestrians walking close to the food stall. Police therefore examined damage to both vehicles and the injuries sustained by those caught in the accident.
Two German children taken to hospital as reports clarify six casualties in Phuket Toyota collision
The crash occurred during the afternoon in Karon, a major tourist area on Phuket’s western coast. The location was outside the Orchid Hotel, near other roadside businesses. Notably, the German casualties included two children who were walking with an adult visitor.
The youngest, Marie-Kristina Fast, was only two years old. Her seven-year-old companion, Erik Fast, was also among those requiring hospital treatment.
Initial reporting produced conflicting casualty totals. Some accounts referred to five injured people while separately identifying the injured motorcycle vendor. However, the complete list of named victims comprised six people.
They included the three Germans, two Thai women and the Thai food vendor. Police subsequently confirmed that all six were transported to Chalong Hospital.
The accident also prompted questions about the vehicle involved. Photographs and local reports identified it as a white Toyota Corolla Cross. Its Bangkok registration details were recorded during the investigation. Furthermore, the driver was identified as a resident of Phang Nga province. She was reportedly unfamiliar with the Karon road where the collision occurred.
Driver released after questioning as police examine compensation and possible app-based taxi work
Following police questioning, Sutthisa was released. However, investigators said she remained responsible for medical expenses incurred by the injured people. Compensation discussions were also expected.
At that stage, no completed financial settlements had been confirmed. The reports likewise provided no figures for hospital bills or the damage to the motorcycle and sidecar.
Separately, questions emerged over whether the woman had been operating an app-based taxi service when the crash occurred. Police Colonel Pathapee declined to confirm whether she was working in that capacity.
There was no verified information establishing that she was carrying passengers. Nor had police confirmed whether the journey was commercial or private. The driver’s possible involvement in app-based transport services therefore remained unresolved.
The question arose alongside the driver’s account of using GPS navigation on an unfamiliar road. However, police had not identified a transport company or confirmed any commercial booking associated with her journey.
Police confirm driver looked at mobile navigation before Karon crash as German victims are identified
Investigators had established that she was following directions on her mobile telephone. They had also recorded her admission that she looked down at the application immediately before the collision.
The incident was first reported by local news outlets on Monday evening. Further details emerged on Tuesday, 20 October, including the victims’ identities and the driver’s account. Those reports identified the location outside the Orchid Hotel on Luang Pho Chuan Road. They also confirmed the involvement of the motorcycle vendor and three German visitors.
The two German children were among the most prominent casualties in the police reports. Marie-Kristina Fast, two, and Erik Fast, seven, were injured alongside 45-year-old Kristina Rusch. All three were transported to Chalong Hospital.
Although their injuries were initially described as minor, individual medical details remained limited. Their precise family relationships were also not established in the published accounts.
Two Thai women and food vendor injured alongside German visitors as police pursue negligent driving case
The two Thai women, Wiphawan Onthong and Suphangmata Phothong, were likewise injured while walking in the area. Meanwhile, Prasit Samitanon suffered injuries when the Toyota struck his mobile food stall.
His red Honda Wave motorcycle and attached sidecar were damaged. Together, the six casualties represented everyone identified as injured in the collision.
The driver escaped physical injury and subsequently underwent police testing and questioning. Her alcohol and drug results were negative.
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Nevertheless, investigators proceeded with the negligent driving charge following her admission concerning the GPS application. She was later released, with responsibility for medical expenses remaining an issue between the driver and victims.
The investigation was continuing into the collision, the injuries and the damage to the food vendor’s motorcycle. In parallel, compensation arrangements had yet to be confirmed. Police also left unanswered whether Sutthisa had been working as an app-based taxi driver. The charge remained the principal legal development following Monday’s crash, while the six injured people received hospital treatment.
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