Phnom Penh police chief Sar Thet said on Tuesday that a case involving a traffic accident in November that resulted in a French national losing a leg has been sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
Thet’s comments came after Jean-Yves Dekeister called on the police to find justice for him after he was hit by a white Range Rover while riding a motorcycle in Chbar Ampov district’s Boeung Snaor commune in the capital on his way to work on November 29.
“The two parties have a disagreement. Dekeister is demanding up to $40,000, and the case has been sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court,” Thet said.
Phnom Penh traffic police chief Sem Kunthea, said his department had twice tried to find an agreement between Dekeister and the driver of the Range Rover.
“Dekeister has demanded that the driver pay up to $40,000 in damages. We have sent the case to court at Dekeister’s request,” Kunthea said.
He declined to identify the person driving the Range Rover that hit Dekeister, saying it was confidential.
Dekeister said on Facebook that around 8:15am on November 29, he was riding a motorbike in Borey Peng Huoth on his way to work when he was hit by a speeding Range Rover, leaving his left leg fractured.
“There was only 200-300m left to go until I reached my office, and I had to cross the main road. I was halfway there when saw a fast car turning left. It hit me, and I lost consciousness for a while. Luckily, I did not suffer serious head injuries because I was wearing a helmet, but I saw that my legs were bloody,” he said.
Dekeister said after the incident, locals took him to hospital. But his doctor, after consulting with several colleagues, decided his left leg could not be saved and amputated it.
He said he hopes the driver will take responsibility and pay for his medical expenses as he has been left disabled for life.
“We still hope that [the driver] will be responsible for helping with treatment and the cost of making a good prosthetic leg so I can to continue to work for society. I have been left disabled for the rest of my life, and I hope he takes responsibility,” Dekeister stressed.
He said the driver had violated the traffic laws by speeding in a housing estate and not prioritising those in the right-hand lane.
Dekeister said while the driver had twice visited him in hospital after the accident and had promised to pay for treatment, he did not come again or remain in contact.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Kuch Kimlong could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
