The driver later told police he did not stop because he panicked after hitting the man, reports the Bangkok Post.
The accident occurred about 6am on Sunday (Dec 15) in tambon Chet Samian of Photharam district. The elderly victim was identified as Bunchu Aramkong.
His 36-year-old granddaughter, Arporn Muangchim, said he normally went outside in the early morning to sweep the ground in front of the house, and would cross the road to dispose of the rubbish.
She heard the sound of a car and something being hit on Sunday morning. She rushed outside to see what happened and saw only one of her grandfather’s sandals on the road, and a pickup disappearing in the distance.
She and other relatives then drove after the pickup, shouting at the driver to stop the car, but he did not. About 10 kilometres from their home, they found Bunchu’s body on the road, she said. He had severe injuries to his head and his body from being dragged along the road by the vehicle.
Police tracked the pickup through surveillance cameras that showed his body being dragged underneath the fleeing vehicle, one arm sticking out to the side. They found the pickup parked in front of a temple in tambon Tha Chumpon.
The driver, Paeng Somjai, 61, admitted he had hit the old man and then tried to escape. He said he had panicked, police said.
He faces charges of reckless driving causing death and hit-and-run.