Ghost returns to haunt pickup driver who hit rear of THB32m Rolls-Royce on expressway

A Chinese businesswoman, who owns the supercar, and her lawyer filed a complaint with the highway police on Wednesday, asking to locate the pickup owner and demand him to pay the full compensation.

The Chinese owner of the supercar was identified as San Yuhan, 38, while police identified the pickup truck owner and driver only as Pongthep, 23.

On Sunday, photos and video clips of the pickup truck hitting the rear of the Rolls-Royce Ghost at kilometre marker 48+000 of the Bangkok-bound motorway were widely shared on social media.

Some motorists, who claimed to have witnessed the accident, commented on the photos and clips that the pickup truck was speeding after the luxury car. The pickup has reportedly been modified, with sports gear additions to be like a racing vehicle.

“Rear of pickup truck modified to be a racing vehicle” several Facebook posts said.

But after the posts were widely shared and picked up by TV stations, a woman called Thairath TV station, claiming to be the wife of the driver, and denied that the pickup was racing with the Rolls-Royce.

She claimed on TV that the brakes of the Rolls-Royce were slammed suddenly, preventing her husband from stopping in time.

She also claimed that the Rolls-Royce driver, a Chinese woman, had apologised to her for braking suddenly and both sides had agreed to fix their own vehicles.

Several motor experts assessed the cost of repairing the Rolls-Royce at over 2 million baht, higher than the pickup’s price.

But on Wednesday, Anirut Kongsup, the lawyer of the Chinese woman, told police that the pickup driver had misunderstood his client.

Anirut said his client could not speak Thai so she had used a hand sign to tell the pickup driver to follow her to the Rolls-Royce service centre after the accident to talk to her insurance firm’s agent about the repair cost.

Anirut said his client ran several Chinese restaurants in Bangkok and Pattaya.

“She didn’t say she would not demand responsibility from the other side. When she heard reports that the other side said she let them walk free, she was worried and consulted me,” Anirut said.

Anirut said although his client’s car had first-class insurance coverage, she would not let the other side go scot-free as she had not violated the traffic law.

Anirut said his client wanted the pickup owner to talk to her insurance firm about the compensation.

“It’s not true as reported that my client suddenly stopped her car. She also didn’t say that each side should shoulder the repair cost on their own, but she wanted the other side to talk to her insurance firm about the damage,” Anirut added.

Pol Lt-Col Sophon Komolsutthi, deputy commander of Highway Police Sub-division 1, said police would summon the pickup truck driver for questioning.