Old monk with dementia hit by two vehicles and killed on Trang road
A Buddhist monk, 80, who was said to have dementia was hit by vehicles and killed late Thursday night when he wandered about 20 kilometres away from his temple.
The driver of a van that hit the monk called police at 12.30am to report the accident on Trang-Palian road in Ban Klong Lamliang in Moo 9 villlage in Tambon Thung Khai of Trang’s Yan Ta Khao district.
The monk was identified as Phra Chalome, who was been ordained at Wat Sarikarm in Tambon Khok Lor in Muang Trang district 18 years ago.
The van driver, Boonyarat Chuaykarnkla, 42 said he was unable to stop in time when the monk suddenly stepped down from the road island and into the path of his van.
Boonyarat said the impact hurled the monk into the left lane, where he was run over by a pickup truck that then fled the scene.
The temple’s abbot, Phrakru Sangworatham Wimol, said the monk was seen walking around in the temple into the evening. The monk had suffered from dementia for over a year and could not carry out religious activities, said the abbot. He liked to talk about the past and often wandered away from the temple and was brought back by lay-followers.