Thai taxi driver filmed blocking ambulance before patient’s death sparks outrage
Dashcam footage of the incident in Phuket has reignited public anger over drivers ignoring emergency sirens
The confrontation unfolded on Sunday morning in Phuket’s Kathu district, but it was not until Tuesday that dashcam footage of the encounter went viral online, drawing widespread condemnation from the public and sparking calls for greater driver accountability.
In the video, first shared by the Kamala Subdistrict Administrative Organisation Rescue Centre, the taxi driver is seen driving in the middle lane and refusing to give way to the ambulance, despite its siren blaring and emergency lights flashing.
Instead, the cabby tries to cut in front of the ambulance to avoid a parked vehicle, forcing both to halt.
The ambulance was carrying a 77-year-old man with a history of heart disease who had earlier collapsed in a durian orchard, The Nation reported.
His family had contacted the rescue centre, which coordinated a transfer from Kamala to Patong Hospital.