Two German tourists killed after a Mazda pickup runs a red light at a Khao Lak crossing, police say. Driver flees, then surrenders with damaged vehicle as three charges follow and earlier foreign tourist crossing deaths return sharply to focus again.
Two German tourists were killed at a Khao Lak pedestrian crossing after police say a pickup tore through a red light and struck them on Friday night. Wilbert Schwiers, 64, and Gabriela Gulden, 63, had arrived in the resort only two days earlier. The driver fled before surrendering with the damaged Mazda less than a day later and now faces three charges. Yet the deaths come amid a disturbing record on Phetkasem Road. Another German couple were struck at a Khao Lak crossing last year, while a French tourist died at one in 2022. Local tourism leaders previously said similar accidents occurred almost weekly at one crossing. Most strikingly, the latest deaths came just three days after Phang-nga officials discussed pedestrian safety and traffic signals.
Two German tourists were killed after a pickup tore through a red light at a Khao Lak pedestrian crossing. Police say the driver then fled, leaving both critically injured victims on Phetkasem Road.
Hours later, investigators traced the vehicle and identified their suspect. By Saturday afternoon, the 37-year-old Phang-nga man had surrendered with the damaged pickup. He now faces three criminal charges.
The deadly collision struck at about 9.45 pm on Friday, October 2. It happened in Nang Thong, one of Khao Lak’s busiest tourist areas. The victims were Wilbert Schwiers, 64, and Gabriela Gulden, 63, both German nationals. They had arrived in the resort only two days earlier. Their planned nine-day stay was due to end on October 9.
German couple struck by pickup after police say it ran a red light at Khao Lak pedestrian crossing
Instead, both were dead before their third full day in Khao Lak had ended. The couple were crossing Phetkasem Road in Khuekkhak, Takua Pa district. They were walking from the central reservation towards the roadside. At that moment, a white Mazda BT-50 pickup approached from the Takua Pa direction.
Crucially, police say CCTV captured the seconds before impact. The Mazda was travelling towards Thai Mueang and running close to the central reservation. The traffic signal facing the pickup was red. Yet the vehicle continued through the controlled crossing. Seconds later, it struck the German couple.
Both tourists were hurled onto the road and suffered devastating injuries. Bloodstains were later found about 10 metres from the crossing. Meanwhile, the Mazda continued towards Thai Mueang without stopping. Its driver provided no assistance at the scene, according to investigators. He also failed to immediately report the crash.
Emergency crews rushed both Germans to Khao Lak Medical Centre. However, doctors could not save them. Mr Schwiers and Ms Gulden subsequently died from their injuries. Their bodies later became part of a criminal investigation already moving quickly along Phetkasem Road.
Police launch hunt after CCTV captures pickup striking German tourists before continuing south from scene
In response, Khao Lak Police Station launched an immediate search for the pickup. Pol Lt Col Chokdee Saengmanee, an investigating officer, went to the crossing. By then, rescuers had transported both victims to hospital. Nevertheless, the road itself provided investigators with substantial physical evidence.
Officers photographed the scene and prepared an accident map. Separately, witnesses described a white Mazda BT-50 leaving after the collision. Police also began collecting CCTV footage from nearby businesses and cameras. That material soon gave investigators a trail towards Thai Mueang.
Notably, the recordings provided more than an escape route. Police say they also captured the fatal collision itself. The footage showed the German couple moving from the median towards the roadside. Simultaneously, the Mazda approached the crossing despite the red signal.
The pickup then hit both tourists before continuing south. From there, investigators followed camera recordings along its suspected route. Witnesses were questioned while officers examined evidence recovered from the crossing. Before long, police had identified the suspected driver.
Phang-nga driver surrenders with damaged Mazda as police file three charges over fatal collision
Thai reports named him under the pseudonym Mr Veera. The 37-year-old is a resident of Phang-nga province. At first, however, neither the driver nor the pickup remained at the crash scene. Police therefore continued their search into Saturday.
As part of that operation, investigators traced the Mazda to the Thai Mueang area. Reports said it had been parked in a soi beside a temple in Lam Kaen. The breakthrough came less than a day after the Germans were hit. Soon afterwards, the suspected driver contacted police.
At approximately 2 pm on Saturday, Mr Veera surrendered at Khao Lak Police Station. Importantly, he also brought the Mazda allegedly involved in the collision. Police immediately seized the vehicle for examination. Its front section showed damage consistent with a serious impact.
Pol Col Jesada Chanphum, Superintendent of Khao Lak Police Station, confirmed the developing criminal case. According to police, CCTV showed the Mazda driving through the red signal. The vehicle then struck both German pedestrians. Investigators have initially filed three charges.
First, police charged the driver with reckless driving causing death. A second charge concerns reckless or dangerous driving endangering people or property. The third relates to his conduct immediately after the collision.
Driver faces further tests as police examine Mazda and German victims undergo detailed autopsies
Specifically, police accuse him of failing to stop and provide reasonable assistance. They also accuse him of failing to immediately identify himself and report the crash. Those duties apply to drivers involved in road accidents. Investigators say they were not fulfilled on Friday night.
Mr Veera has confessed to the charges, according to police. Even so, the investigation is far from complete. Officers have taken samples for alcohol testing. Drug tests have also been carried out. Therefore, additional criminal charges remain possible.
Should those tests return positive results, police say further counts will follow. In parallel, forensic officers are examining the seized Mazda. Its damage can be compared with evidence recovered from Phetkasem Road. CCTV recordings and witness statements will also form part of the case.
On another front, procedures involving the two victims are continuing. Their bodies were initially examined after their deaths at Khao Lak Medical Centre. Afterwards, both were transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for detailed autopsies. Officials are also coordinating with their relatives and the German Embassy.
The deaths have again exposed a grim record of pedestrian collisions involving foreign visitors in Khao Lak. Significantly, Friday’s tragedy was not the first serious case involving German tourists. Another German couple were struck at a Khao Lak crossing in April 2025.
Earlier Khao Lak crash saw German parents struck at crossing while their toddler escaped serious injury
That collision also happened on Phetkasem Road. On April 15, Phillip David Lothar, 34, and Linda Raub, 32, were crossing at Bang Niang. Their toddler was with them. The German parents were pushing the child across a marked pedestrian crossing.
One vehicle stopped to let the family pass. In contrast, a pickup operating as a songthaew continued through the adjoining lane. It smashed into both parents while they were crossing. Remarkably, their toddler escaped serious injury.
The collision immediately triggered concern within the local tourism industry. Lertsak Ponklin, president of the Phang Nga Tourism Business Association, addressed the problem afterwards. He said similar accidents occurred at that crossing almost every week. He also said repeated warnings and meetings had failed to solve the problem.
Yet the April 2025 crash was itself part of an earlier record. Three years before Friday’s double fatality, another European tourist died at a Khao Lak zebra crossing. That victim was French national Jean-Yves Bornarel, 53.
In August 2022, Mr Bornarel was crossing a road in Khuekkhak, Takua Pa district. A car struck him while he was using a zebra crossing. He suffered critical injuries in the collision. Subsequently, he died while being transported to hospital.
Latest deaths follow earlier tourist crossing fatalities as officials again examine Khao Lak road safety
Elsewhere, another French tourist died at a marked pedestrian crossing in Kanchanaburi during April 2025. The victim was 40 years old. He was crossing the road when he was struck. That case added another foreign visitor to Thailand’s pedestrian crossing fatalities.
Still, Friday’s deaths carry a particularly stark connection to earlier Khao Lak crashes. The resort has repeatedly recorded serious collisions involving foreign pedestrians. Two of those cases involved German tourists. Another killed a French visitor.
More immediately, the latest deaths came only days after Phang-nga officials discussed pedestrian safety again. Officials met on September 29 following concerns over accidents involving foreign visitors. Pedestrian crossings and traffic signals were among the subjects discussed.
As part of those talks, officials considered measures covering tourists crossing Phetkasem Road. Three days later, Mr Schwiers and Ms Gulden were hit at another controlled crossing. This time, two tourists died.
Police say the circumstances were captured on CCTV. The Mazda approached while the German couple were already crossing towards the roadside. According to investigators, the signal facing the pickup was red. Nevertheless, the vehicle continued forward.
Fatal collision outside Khao Lak premises puts CCTV, red signal and driver’s departure at case centre
The collision occurred outside the Orchid Khao Lak premises in Moo 7, Khuekkhak. The location sits within the Nang Thong tourist area. Hotels, restaurants and businesses operate along both sides of Phetkasem Road. Consequently, visitors regularly cross the highway while moving around the resort.
At the same time, Phetkasem Road is a major north-south highway through Phang-nga. Through traffic therefore passes directly through Khao Lak’s tourist districts. Friday’s crash happened where those movements intersect at a controlled pedestrian crossing.
For police, however, the criminal case remains focused on the evidence. CCTV provides a record of the Mazda approaching the crossing. Investigators say it also shows the red signal. Seconds later, the pickup hits the two Germans.
After impact, police say the vehicle continued towards Thai Mueang. The driver did not remain with the critically injured couple. Nor did he immediately contact police. Instead, investigators had to begin searching for the vehicle.
Within hours, however, CCTV and witness evidence had narrowed that search. Police identified the Mazda and traced its movements. They also established the identity of their suspect. By Saturday afternoon, he was inside Khao Lak Police Station.
Police examine damaged Mazda and toxicology results as earlier Khao Lak crossing crashes return to focus
The vehicle itself now forms a central piece of physical evidence. Police have seized it and are examining the damaged front section. Investigators also have material recovered from the road. In addition, witness statements and multiple CCTV recordings are available.
The toxicology results remain outstanding. Likewise, detailed post-mortem examinations are continuing in Phuket. Those findings will be added to the investigation file. Further charges could follow if police establish alcohol or drug involvement.
Friday’s case also contains a critical difference from several earlier crossing collisions. Police say the traffic signal was red before the Mazda reached the crossing. Furthermore, investigators accuse the driver of leaving both victims after impact.
The April 2025 German family collision unfolded differently. In that case, one vehicle stopped for the pedestrians. However, another vehicle in an adjoining lane continued forward and struck the parents. Their toddler survived.
After that crash, the local tourism association publicly raised the frequency of similar incidents. Mr Lertsak said accidents happened almost weekly at that crossing. Earlier warnings and meetings had already taken place, he said.
German couple become latest foreign crossing fatalities as driver confesses to three initial charges
Before that, the 2022 death of Mr Bornarel had already established a fatal precedent. The French tourist was struck while using a zebra crossing in the same Khao Lak district. He later died from his injuries.
Now, Mr Schwiers and Ms Gulden have become the latest foreign fatalities at a Khao Lak pedestrian crossing. They arrived for their holiday on September 30. Their booking ran until October 9.
Instead, Friday night ended with both critically injured on Phetkasem Road. Emergency teams rushed them to hospital, but neither survived. Their bodies were later transferred to Phuket for forensic examination.
The suspected driver initially left the scene, according to police. Less than a day later, he surrendered with the Mazda. He has since confessed to the three initial charges.
For now, investigators are waiting for the remaining laboratory results. Police are also completing their examination of the pickup and CCTV evidence. Meanwhile, embassy and family procedures surrounding the two victims continue.
Police case rests on CCTV, damaged Mazda and confession after German couple killed at red-light crossing
The criminal case rests on a rapidly assembled chain of evidence. It includes CCTV, witnesses, the damaged Mazda and evidence recovered from the road. Police also have the driver’s confession to the initial charges.
Most importantly, investigators say CCTV captured the decisive moments. The German couple were crossing from the central reservation towards the roadside. The Mazda approached the controlled crossing as the signal showed red.
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Young German couple, the parents of a toddler, blown off the road in Phang-nga at a Zebra crossing point
It did not stop, according to police. Instead, the pickup continued into the crossing and struck both tourists. Wilbert Schwiers and Gabriela Gulden were rushed to hospital with critical injuries.
Both died shortly afterwards.
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