A police investigation has concluded that a water bottle stuck under a brake pedal caused a car driven by a woman to plow through a barrier of The Mall Bangkapi’s car park and plunge to the ground on Nov 25.
Pol Gen Jaramporn Suramanee, forensic science adviser to the Royal Thai Police, said Thursday a thorough examination by forensic police and car experts of the crash site and the wrecked Honda Civic found no irregularities in any of the vehicle’s operating systems. The car was owned by 35-year-old Supaporn Wiangnak.
The probe discovered the fatal accident was caused by a water bottle that became wedged under the car’s brake pedal, with the top part jamming down on the accelerator. It's believed Supaporn tried to stop the car by stamping on the brake pedal, but instead pushed down on the accelerator, causing the engine to race to 5,000 rpm as she lost control.
Pol Gen Jaramporn said calculations based on time and distance (measured at 58.40 metres from when the Civic hit its first car to when it rammed into the barrier) showed the vehicle was travelling at more than 20 km/h.
But even though the distance was short, the car's impact on the barrier was powerful and generated about seven tonnes of force. That was enough to break through the barrier which was not designed to handle that amount of pressure, he said.