The son of Kompong Chhnang provincial police chief Ath Khem will not be prosecuted for fleeing the scene of a traffic accident in Pursat province Saturday that left two people dead, one of whom was a woman seven-months pregnant, police said Wednesday.
Peng Sophat, 46, his pregnant daughter Pen Tieng, 19, and his niece reportedly crashed their motorbike into a cow while crossing National Road 5 at about 4 pm.
A white Toyota Camry driving behind the motorcycle ran over the pregnant woman, who died one hour later in a local hospital.
Then a Lexus SUV driven by Khem Savuth, 24, the son of police chief Ath Khem, overtook the Camry and struck the girl’s father, Pen Sophat, who died two hours later in Battambang Provincial Hospital.
Both Khem Savuth and the driver of the Camry, who police Wednesday identified as Phnom Penh’s Tuol Tumpoung II commune chief Yuon Sophon, fled the scene of the accident.
Pursat Provincial Deputy Police Chief Or Heang said that because representatives of both Khem Savuth and Yuon Sophon agreed to negotiate compensation with the family of the dead father and daughter, no charges will be pressed against them.
The relatives are asking for $5,000, Or Heang said.
Or Heang also denied that the two drivers fled the scene, though Tob Chansereyvuth on Wednesday reconfirmed an earlier police report that Khem Savuth and Yuon Sophon did flee the scene, but only to avoid being beaten up.
Tob Chansereyvuth said that the case could go to court if the “compromise” doesn’t work out and added that although the cow hadn’t killed the two victims, it caused the accident.
Ngan Vanny, a Pursat provincial police officer who helped in the negotiation, said Wednesday that Khem Savuth had agreed to offer $1,500 to the family of the deceased, while Yuon Sophon’s representative had not agreed on an amount yet.
Yuon Sophon could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
