The incident occurred on Sunday morning, Pol Lt Col Suchart Chumphusang confirmed to The Phuket News.
The patient, who had a history of heart disease, collapsed at a durian plantation in Kamala. Relatives quickly contacted Patong Hospital, which dispatched an emergency team around 8:15am, reported MCOT news.
After picking up the patient, the ambulance was heading towards Phuket Town for urgent treatment when it was obstructed by a ‘green plate’ taxi driving slowly in the far-left lane.
The taxi swerved to avoid a parked car and ended up blocking the ambulance, and the driver refused to get out of the way.
Witnesses said the taxi failed to move aside despite the ambulance’s siren sounding.
“The ambulance had its siren on full blast, but the taxi refused to move. The road was very narrow. If he had moved quickly, they might have been able to save his life,” one witness said.
Emergency responders performed CPR in the ambulance, but the man was pronounced dead at about 8:45am.
Patong Police and hospital authorities later reviewed CCTV footage and the taxi driver was called in for questioning yesterday (Apr 28).
The taxi driver was initially charged with obstructing an emergency vehicle and violating the rights of a patient, police confirmed.
Police say further charges could be considered depending on the outcome of the investigation.