NONTHABURI, THAILAND – A 75-year-old British resident was fatally struck by an SUV on a busy road, and dashcam footage later contradicted the driver’s account of the collision.
Fatal collision on Bang Kruai–Sai Noi Road
On Tuesday, 3 December, around 1 p.m., an emergency call reached the Sai Noi Police Station reporting a lifeless person on Bang Kruai–Sai Noi Road in front of Areeya Village. The victim was identified as 75-year-old Suzanne Routledge, a British resident who lived in the village with her husband. She suffered severe injuries to her head and arms, while a white Toyota Fortuner with a crushed front bumper was found about five metres away, its driver still at the scene.
Driver’s statement challenged by video
The 39-year-old driver, Jarunan, initially told officers she had been travelling from Lam Luk Ka in Pathum Thani to meet a friend. She said she saw the pedestrian and assumed the woman would reach the traffic island before the SUV arrived.
“Suddenly she stopped for no reason,”
said Jarunan, driver. She stated she could no longer brake in time, but while this appeared to explain a tragic accident, evidence circulating online pointed in another direction.
Dashcam footage sparks public outrage
Later the same day, a dashcam video of the incident spread rapidly on social media, showing the sequence of events second by second. The recording showed that Suzanne Routledge walked at a steady pace without stopping and did not halt in the middle of the lane. Online users reacted with anger, criticising Jarunan for her dangerously high speed and the lack of any visible braking manoeuvre despite an unobstructed view of the pedestrian.
Charge of negligent homicide under Section 219
Faced with conflicting accounts, police brought Jarunan to the station for intensive questioning. Investigators ultimately filed a charge of negligent homicide in traffic under Section 219 of the Criminal Code, which allows for up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 baht. The dashcam recording became the key piece of evidence, effectively undermining the driver’s first statement.
A respected member of the local community
The victim’s 67-year-old husband appeared visibly devastated at the police station to give his testimony. The couple had lived in Thailand for eight years and bought a house in Sai Noi five years earlier. They were known for their daily bicycle rides and for greeting neighbours, and Somsak Duangsono, the deputy mayor who knew them well, said they had already booked accommodation in Pattaya for Christmas.
Community mourning and call for justice
The local administration offered to organise a Thai funeral ceremony for Suzanne Routledge, and expressions of sympathy in the community were extensive. Her husband was reported to be struggling to come to terms with the loss.
“All his anger at the driver will not bring his wife back,”
said Somsak Duangsono, deputy mayor. The case now rested with the justice system to determine guilt and an appropriate sentence for a crash that destroyed a family and left a community in mourning.