Phuket taxi driver faces charges after blocking ambulance, resulting in patient’s death
Phuket police have filed charges against a local taxi driver following a viral video clip showing an ambulance being obstructed in Kathu district. The video circulated widely on social media on Tuesday.
The clip showed the taxi driver refusing to give way to an ambulance transporting a critical patient, despite its siren and emergency lights being activated. The incident tragically ended with the patient passing away before reaching medical care, according to the Kamala Subdistrict Administrative Organisation Rescue Centre, which posted the video.
The centre explained that the taxi was driving in the middle lane on Kamala–Patong Road in Phuket’s Kathu district. The driver refused to change lanes despite the ambulance's siren and flashing lights being on for several minutes.
The ambulance was carrying a 77-year-old male patient with a history of heart disease, who had earlier collapsed in a durian orchard in the Kamala community. His family had contacted the rescue centre, which coordinated a transfer to Patong Hospital.
The centre also stated that the patient’s daughter, a nurse, performed CPR continuously throughout the journey, until the ambulance was blocked by the taxi near Kalim Beach on Kamala–Patong Road. The delay prevented timely treatment, and the patient was later pronounced dead.
Following the heartbreaking incident, Patong Hospital and local police reviewed footage from CCTV and a dashboard camera. Patong Police Station contacted the taxi driver and filed two charges: obstructing an emergency vehicle and violating the rights of a patient. Legal proceedings are now underway.
