The court was initially slated to read the verdict on Thursday against Wichitra Pukboonreung, 25, for driving recklessly and causing deaths and property damage, but rescheduled it after Supakit’s parents requested on Thursday to become co-plaintiffs and demand Bt5 million in compensation.
The parents said they had been angered by Wichitra’s behaviour, adding that she never contacted them to offer assistance and did not even “wai” or apologise for the accident. So, they decided to demand for Bt5 million in compensation for their son’s death.
Jatupat and Supakit were killed with Wichitra’s Toyota sedan slammed into their Honda CRV, sending it to plunge into a roadside canal in Chiang Mai’s Muang district on the night of January 2. Police said CCTV images showed that the CRV was in the correct lane, while Wichitra’s sedan was in the U-turn lane and was at fault as it drove straight, resulting in the collision.