Picture from responders.

 

A horrific crash occurred on the morning of January 2, at approximately 07.10, on Asian Highway 41 in Surat Thani’s Chaiya district, claiming six lives and leaving one person injured after a pickup truck driver lost control and collided with a tree while attempting to avoid a school van.

 

Pol. Capt. Pichit Khaosuwan, Investigator at Chaiya Police Station, received the emergency call about the crash near kilometre marker 124/500 on the southbound lane of Asian Highway 41, opposite the Chaiya transport office in Pa We subdistrict.

 

Emergency rescue teams from Kusolsattha Surat Thani Foundation arrived to find a damaged dark grey Toyota half-cab pickup truck with Bangkok registration plates lodged against a tree in the central road median.

 

Inside the wreckage, rescue workers found six casualties. There were four fatalities on-site: two boys and two girls. Two injured adults from inside the cab, were rushed to Chaiya Hospital, but both succumbed to their injuries shortly after arrival. The sole survivor, who had been riding in the truck’s bed, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

 

The sole survivor revealed that the group, consisting of seven family members, was travelling from Pathio district in Chumphon province to Trang province. The survivor had been sitting in the pickup truck’s rear cargo bed.

 

The incident unfolded when the vehicle suddenly lost control after the driver attempted to avoid colliding with a stationary school van parked along the roadside by swerving the wheel. However, the truck veered into the central median and struck a tree with devastating impact.

 

Authorities are investigating to determine the cause of the crash and review any available CCTV and dash- cam footage.

 

 

-- 2025-01-02

 

 

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The sole survivor revealed that the group, consisting of seven family members,

Remember this and don't drive like this person did.

This driver wiped out a family in a split second.

An unusual incident in that it was passengers in the cab that died leaving the only survivor being the one riding in the bed. It's more often the other way round. 

 

I note that this was a two door pick up, so there should not have been more than two people in the cab anyway. There are, of course no seatbelts available for passengers in the rear of the cab.

 

An ominous start to the year on the roads of Thailand.

Geez I wonder how fast the fool behind the wheel was going, no mention of alcohol? 

On 1/2/2025 at 3:38 AM, Georgealbert said:

collided with a tree while attempting to avoid a school van.

 

I thought that schools where closed during  these festivities?