Police are preparing charges against a taxi driver for causing a tragic road accident on December 24 that killed eight people in O’Taki commune in Battambang province’s Thma Koul district.
Provincial traffic police chief Chan Sothy said a westbound Hyundai lorry transporting ice on National Road 5 was struck by a Toyota Camry sedan when it crossed into the lorry’s lane, colliding head-on. The taxi overturned off the road.
“Seven of nine people in the taxi were killed instantly. The driver and a one-year-old boy survived. There were two people in the lorry – a driver and his assistant. The driver was also killed, bringing the total fatalities to eight, four of them women,” he said, adding that the victims’ families agreed to hold a joint funeral at the nearby O’Taki pagoda.
According to Sothy, the taxi driver sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical treatment.
“He is recovering, and police are preparing documents for the court to proceed with legal action against him,” he said.
Sothy could not specify when the prosecution would begin. He noted that this was the first case in the province this year that a single traffic accident had killed several people.
National deputy police chief Him Yan said on December 27 that traffic accidents nationwide during the first 11 months of this year had decreased from the same period last year.
“Compared to 2019, this year’s road accidents have declined by over 700 cases, with the number of deaths decreasing by 269 and injuries by 1,227,” he said.
According to Yan, the decline is due to the effective enforcement of traffic laws and cooperation from the public. Building on the progress, police will continue to work hard to enforce traffic laws and improve road safety in the coming year, he said.
