2-year-old boy among 5 tourists seriously injured in Pattaya after woman reverses BMW into crowd

Five foreigners, including a two-year-old boy, were injured after a woman reversed her car into a crowd outside a massage shop in Pattaya, Thailand on Wednesday (April 22).

The victims — a two-year-old Australian boy, a 56-year-old Australian man, a 45-year-old American man, and two Indian men — were all tourists, according to SiamChon News as reported by Thaiger.

All are reported to be in serious condition.  

Local police said they were alerted to the incident outside a massage shop near a night bazaar at about 7.50pm and responded to the scene with rescuers. 

Police said a white BMW had struck pedestrians on the pavement before crashing into a luggage shop.

In a CCTV video shared on social media, a white car with its hazard lights switched on can be seen reversing at speed with the driver's door open before hitting people who were walking and sitting along the footpath.

Among those who were hit was a man seen pushing a child in a stroller. 

Passers-by can be heard screaming and were also seen scrambling to avoid the crash.

The driver, a 57-year-old woman identified as Phannee, told police she had earlier collided with a motorcycle about three to four metres away from the subsequent crash site, reported Thaiger.

Following the earlier crash, she had decided to reverse her vehicle to park by the roadside while waiting for an insurance representative. 

However, when she re-entered the car to retrieve insurance documents, Phannee claimed the vehicle suddenly moved backwards and struck the victims.

Police said CCTV footage will be reviewed before a decision is made on any charges.

[[nid:732781]]

xingying.koh@asiaone.com