Woman's licence revoked for multiple crashes at airport

Phattra Boonchaliew, 69, is arrested after driving into a Chiang Mai airport guard and other vehicles. Her lifelong driving licence has been revoked. (Photo by Chiang Mai airport)

The Land Transport Department has revoked the lifelong driving licence of the hot-tempered woman who drove her pickup truck into the Chiang Mai airport guard who clamped her wheel, for her mental illness.

Sophon Pitaksalee, land transport chief of Lampang province, said his office found that Phattra Boonchaliew, 69, had been unstable emotionally -- she was reportedly easily provoked and unpredictably aggressive. Besides, she was forgetful and often lost her way while driving.

The Lampang land transport branch which had issued her lifelong driving licence revoked the document because she was not healthy enough to drive safely. The land transport office in Chiang Mai province also requested the revocation after crashes at Chiang Mai airport, Mr Sophon said.

The multiple crashes at the airport happened on Monday when Miss Phattra parked her pickup truck at a no-parking zone in front of the airport's passenger terminal to see a friend off.

An airport security guard clamped her wheel because the vehicle had been parked there longer than an hour.

The woman paid a 400-baht fine and returned to the parking area where she reportedly talked emotionally to Vatchara Chaiwong, 24, the guard on duty.

After Mr Vatchara unlocked the clamp, she started the engine and rammed into him, dragging him for a long distance while crashing six vehicles along the way, to the shock of bystanders.

Mr Vatchara suffered abdominal injuries, broken pelvis, arm, spine and shoulder blade. His relatives filed a complaint with police accusing her of attempted murder.