Wife seeks explanation after husband held as drunk during stroke

A woman has sought justice through a citizen advocacy webpage, alleging that police in the Bang Pahan district of Ayutthaya mistook her husband’s stroke symptoms for drunkenness and detained him instead of taking him to hospital.

The 42-year-old man, identified only as ‘Theeramit’, is now in a critical condition in the intensive care unit, after undergoing surgery for a ruptured blood vessel in the brain.

His wife said it was more than nine hours before he finally received medical treatment, adding that his condition might not have been so bad if he had been taken to hospital sooner.

The woman sought help from ‘Saimai Survive’, a citizen advocacy group, to get an investigation and justice for her husband.

According to the family, the incident occurred at about 3.40am on March 1.

Theeramit, who works as a hired driver, had left home for work as usual. While driving, he began experiencing weakness in his arms and legs and had difficulty speaking.

He attempted to steer his vehicle into a petrol station to find help, but lost control and crashed into a parked motorcycle. Having lost the ability to speak, he tried to signal for help using hand gestures.

Video recorded by bystanders showed him raising his hand to make an “SOS” signal in an attempt to get help, but no one understood the gesture.

Police officers who arrived at the scene were told by petrol station staff that the driver appeared intoxicated. They removed the car key and questioned him, but said he appeared disoriented and could not communicate clearly.

Believing he was intoxicated, officers handcuffed him and took him to Bang Pahan Police Station, instead of taking him to hospital.

Police say they arrived at the station at about 4.44am and assessed his condition again, still believing he was heavily intoxicated. He was taken to Bang Pahan Hospital at around 5am.

Doctors subsequently discovered that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage and required emergency surgery.

He remains unconscious in the intensive care unit at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Hospital, with doctors saying some brain tissue has been permanently damaged and that his chances of recovery remain uncertain.

Ekkaphop Luangprasert, founder of the advocacy group, accompanied the man’s family to meet police in Ayutthaya, prompting authorities to set up a panel to investigate the complaint.

Meanwhile, the provincial police commander, Surawut Saengrungreang, said he has ordered officers involved in the case to submit a full report on the incident.

He said CCTV footage and body camera recordings will be reviewed and that a disciplinary panel would be set up if any wrongdoing is found.

Deputy provincial police commander, Ekkarat Uncharoen, said the use of handcuffs followed police procedure and is intended to prevent detainees from harming themselves or jumping from a vehicle.

The handcuffs were removed once Theeramit arrived at the police station, before he was taken to hospital.

Later that day, senior officers from Bang Pahan Police Station visited the hospital and met with the man’s family.

They were unable to enter the intensive care unit but spoke with his wife and assured the family that the case would be investigated fairly.

Theeramit’s wife said doctors had told her that her husband’s condition remained “50/50” following brain surgery and that relatives had been advised to prepare for the worst.

She added that her husband had no underlying illnesses and was the family’s main breadwinner. She urged police to be more cautious in assessing medical symptoms in similar situations, to prevent such incidents from happening again.