Round-the-world British cyclists killed in Thailand road accident
An undated family photo showing Peter Root and Mary Thompson.
A trip of a lifetime ended in tragedy for a British cycling couple when they were killed in a road accident in Thailand.
Peter Root and Mary Thompson, both aged 34, died on Wednesday when a pickup truck veered out of its lane and hit them, the Associated Press reported Monday.
The couple, from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, were more than 18 months into a round-the-world cycling trip.
They had ridden across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, documenting their adventures on a blog Two on Four Wheels, Sky News reported.
"We are Mary Thompson and Peter Root. At 17.00 on the 12th July 2011 we took a ferry from Guernsey to France with loads of stuff, two bikes and the intention to cycle east around the World," the couple wrote at the beginning of their blog.
Root and Thompson, both experienced cyclists, had spent six years saving and planning for the trip, Peter’s father told the AP.
The 25-year-old driver of the truck told police the accident happened as he reached down to pick up a cap from the vehicle’s floor, the Bangkok Post reported.
He faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving.
The Bangkok Post said the Tourism Authority of Thailand has apologized to the families of Root and Thompson.
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