The truck driver who killed a round-the-world Chilean cyclist on a Korat highway has been sentenced to prison but won’t have to actually go to jail as the sentence was suspended.
Nakhon Ratchasima deputy commander Pol. Col. Wanat Atthakawin revealed Monday the province’s Bua Yai court sentenced truck driver Thiwarat Chaipidet, 64, to a year of jail term and THB7,500 fine for his reckless driving. The original fine and two-year sentence were halved because he confessed.
Guillermo was on a five-year mission to cycle 250,000 kilometers across five continents and set a Guinness World Record. He was eight months from finishing when Thiwarat’s truck swerved into his lane and struck him on Feb. 21 in front of his wife and 2-year-old son, who were also injured.
His Singaporean wife Ng-Poh Leng, 40, and their son currently reside in Khon Kaen as the case will proceed to Civil Court. The family is still negotiating compensation with Thiwarat’s insurance agency.
However, Col. Wanat said the driver has offered THB100,000 of his own money to the family. Ng-Poh Leng also showed sympathy to the driver who could barely afford the money.
Ng-Poh Leng plans to take her son back to Singapore after the proceedings are over, Manager reported.
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