Doctor in coma after being hit by British motorcyclist
published : 26 May 2026 at 07:24
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
A doctor was in a coma on Monday after being run down by a British motorcyclist who operates tour boat services on Koh Phangan.
Police said Assoc Prof Dr Theerasuk Kawamatawong, a pulmonary and critical care specialist, was hit by a motorcycle while walking past a furniture shop on the tourist island on Saturday night. He is a senior doctor at Bangkok Hospital on Koh Samui and was on holiday on Koh Phangan on Saturday.
The 53-year-old suffered a serious head injury and was left unconscious. Koh Phangan Hospital transferred him to Bangkok Hospital on Koh Samui.
Police investigators said the motorcyclist fled the scene. He was later identified as a British man who runs tour boat services on Koh Phangan.
Police arrested the man on a boat at a pier in Ban Wok Tum on Sunday afternoon. His name was not released.
The Brit allegedly admitted that his motorcycle hit a pedestrian. A urine test was positive for cocaine use, according to police.
Vocabulary
- cocaine: (or coke) an illegal drug used as a stimulant -
- coma: a deep unconscious state, usually lasting a long time and caused by serious illness or injury - สภาพไม่รู้สึกตัวของผู้ป่วย
- flee (past form: fled) (verb): to leave a place or person quickly because you are afraid of possible danger or consequences - หนี
- pedestrian: a person who walks, especially in an area where vehicles go - คนเดินถนน, คนเดินเท้า
- pulmonary: related to the lungs -
- unconscious : in a sleeplike condition, usually from an illness or injury - หมดสติ
- urine: liquid waste passed from your body - น้ำปัสสาวะ
