PATTAYA, THAILAND – A car rolled backwards into a group of pedestrians in Pattaya in the evening, injuring five people including a small child, as the driver later reported to authorities and police investigated the exact cause of the crash.
Crash outside massage shop at market
The incident occurred at about 7:50 p.m. in front of a massage shop at a market in the coastal city. A white BMW moved uncontrollably in reverse along the pavement, hitting several pedestrians as well as parked motorcycles.
The vehicle only came to a stop when it crashed into an adjacent luggage shop. Witnesses alerted emergency services, which arrived quickly at the scene.
Five injured, including a toddler
Five foreign nationals were injured in the crash. Among them was a two-year-old boy from Australia, who sat in a stroller being pushed by a male companion.
The four other injured people were adult men from America, Australia and India. All five were taken to nearby hospitals, and doctors initially did not provide detailed information on the severity of their injuries.
Driver cites earlier collision
The 57-year-old driver told police she had been involved shortly beforehand in a minor rear-end collision with a motorcycle. While she was waiting for an insurance representative, she said she got back into the vehicle to retrieve documents.
At that moment, according to her account, the BMW started to move backwards uncontrollably. Whether a technical defect or human error was responsible remained the subject of the ongoing investigation.
Surveillance footage secures evidence
Surveillance cameras in the area recorded the sequence of events. The footage showed the car reversing into the group of people with the driver’s door open, as investigators reviewed the material and interviewed eyewitnesses.
The driver stated she was willing to cover all damage and medical costs for the injured. Police examined possible charges in connection with the case.
Similar case in Bangkok weeks earlier
A similar incident had taken place in Bangkok a few weeks earlier, when a vehicle drove uncontrollably into a retail premises. In Thailand, crashes caused by unintentionally set vehicle movements have been documented with increasing frequency.
Traffic safety experts pointed to the combination of driver inattention and crowded pavements as a particularly dangerous situation in urban tourist areas. The case in Pattaya was being further processed both under criminal law and in terms of insurance liability.