37-year old Bangkok taxi driver’s wife from Samut Prakan earlier told police she suspected her husband had the infection. He was working night and day to eke out an existence during the Covid 19 emergency when his daily income was as low as ฿300 and he was working just to keep his taxi vehicle.
A taxi driver who was found on Monday evening dead at the side of the road did not die from the Covid coronavirus an autopsy has revealed. His wife and two daughters were at home in Samut Prakan when they got the news on Tuesday afternoon.
Doctors have assured the wife of a 49-year-old taxi driver found dead on Monday evening near a safety barrier on the road that her husband did not die from the Covid 19 virus.
The body of Sriprai Thiansawang was found by passersby with the engine of his yellow and green taxi still running in the Muang district of Samut Prakan on Monday evening. The incident was reported to police at approximately 6 pm, a few hours into the taxi man’s second shift of the day. There were no external injuries on the body.
Body wrapped by authorities and sent for an autopsy
The body was sent for an autopsy by concerned authorities given the present state of emergency over the coronavirus. It was carefully wrapped in a plastic bag and sent to the Institution of Forensic Science where the examination and medical investigation was scheduled.
Wife says her husband had a sore throat and dry cough. Told police she suspected he had the virus
The taxi man’s 37-year-old wife, Ms Suchada Wanphetlaengpring, told police that her husband had been suffering from a dry cough and sore throat for the last two weeks. She was concerned that he may have contracted the coronavirus. However, he did not have a fever.
Police investigating the man’s taxi found it contained hand sanitiser provisions and did not look like it had been a scene of violence or a struggle.
Taxi driver had two daughters. The family was struggling to survive due to the Covid 19 emergency
His wife told police that the couple had two daughters aged 5 and 13. Her husband would normally earn ฿1,500 per day but during the Covid shutdown, his income had dwindled to ฿300 to ฿400.
She also had taken up some employment which earned a couple of thousand baht a month.
Family applied for government support payments
The family had applied for the ฿5,000 a month support payments from the government. Their current circumstances were extremely straitened and her husband was suffering from stress.
She said that in recent days he had only been working to pay the rent on his car.
She disclosed that he barely had time to rest at this time as he tried desperately to find the money for the family and his commitments.
Municipal staff in Samut Prakan arrived at the family home to disinfect the property and taxi on Tuesday
On Tuesday at lunchtime, officials from the Samut Prakan municipality arrived at the couple’s home to carry out a disinfection operation on the taxi and the environs of the property.
Medical officers also examined the deceased man’s family including his two daughters.
Officials indicated that this was a health precaution for the family and neighbouring community.
Phone call with autopsy result
Ms Suchada then received a call from the hospital who had just finished conducting the post mortem on her husband.
He had died from a herniated artery and was not infected with the disease. Small comfort for a widow with two children at a time like this.
Further reading:
Chinese man in Bangkok with a plastic bag of cash to buy a condo in Pattaya. Leaves money in a taxi
