Pickup Truck Smashes Into Chiang Mai Coffee Shop
A pickup truck crashed into a Chiang Mai coffee shop and chicken rice restaurant before dawn Saturday, causing nearly 1 million baht in damage to both businesses on Somphot 700 Pi Road. The 48-year-old driver from Lampang sustained minor in
CHIANG MAI — A cafe and chicken rice shop in Chiang Mai were badly damaged after a pickup truck crashed into them before dawn, leaving the owner facing an estimated repair bill of nearly 1 million baht.
Warakorn Saengsuphon, 37, known as "Pop", arrived to open Thong Phan Bai Coffee and the nearby Mei Jong Chicken Rice branch No. 2 on Somphot 700 Pi Road in Mae Hia, Mueang Chiang Mai district, on Saturday morning and was shocked to discover that a pickup truck had smashed into both businesses.
The impact severely damaged the shops, including their doors, metal roller shutters, glass, walls and ceilings. Coffee-making equipment and glass display cabinets were also damaged, leaving both businesses unable to open. Warakorn estimated the total damage at nearly 1 million baht.
Police said they received a report at about 1:30 am of a pickup truck crashing into the shops. Officers who arrived at the scene found a grey Ford pickup with extensive front-end damage and a burst tyre. The driver, a 48-year-old man from Mueang Lampang district, sustained minor injuries. Police took him in for questioning to establish the cause of the crash and documented the scene before towing the pickup to Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station.
Warakorn said nobody had been at the shops when the crash occurred. After closing for the day, he had returned home in San Phak Wan subdistrict and only discovered the damage when he returned early the next morning to open the businesses. Both shops will have to remain closed for an extended period while repairs are carried out.
