Police were called to the scene, near the PT petrol station in Baan Manik, at 10:30am.
Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police and fellow officers arrived to find the body of Srikool Sonjanda, 51, from Udon Thani, face up in the middle of the road.
His heavily damaged blue Honda Wave motorbike was lying nearby. Scattered across the road were bamboo tubes of sticky rice that Mr Srikul sold to make a living.
Parked to the side was a grey Toyota pickup truck. Standing nearby was the pickup truck's driver, Chanai Boriboon, 41, from Nakorn Phanom province, apparently obviously drunk and verbally abusing people looking on.
Police took Chanai to Thalang Police Station, where he tested positive for alcohol.
He registered a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) reading of 410mg per 100ml of blood.
Capt Kraisorn told The Phuket News earlier today that Chanai will be charged with drunk driving causing death after he sobers up.
Chanai was still drunk while police were trying to process him, he said.
Under harsher penalties for drunk driving introduced in 2015, the penalty for drunk driving causing death is three to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of B60,000 to B200,000, or both. The driver’s license will be revoked. Whether the offender will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license again remains at the court’s discretion. (See full list of penalties here.)
chantal00 | 10 December 2019 - 09:23:14