Teacher cyclist, pickup passenger killed in Khon Kaen accident
A teacher riding his bicycle on his way home after morning exercise died on Thursday morning after being hit by a pickup on a Khon Kaen road.
A young man riding in the back of the pickup was also killed when the truck subsequently hit a tree, hurling his body to the ground.
Police said the accident happened at 6.30am on Maliwan road in Tambon Nong Rua of Khon Kaen’s Nong Rua district.
Thawat Pinyo, 53, a teacher at Nong Rua Witthaya School, was killed at the scene. The dead pickup passenger was identified as Silapachai Phetlam, 24, from Chaiyaphum.
Two other men in the pickup were severely injured. Neti Thonglard, 29, and Sattras Phetlam, 20, were also from Chaiyaphum. The injured men had been sent to the district hospital before police arrived at the scene, leaving police unsure who had been driving the pickup.
Relatives said the teacher was riding home after morning exercise when the speeding pickup hit his bike before veering off to hit a roadside tree.