Picture from responders, after the van had been recovered.

 

A passenger van carrying 13 people overturned after a front tyre burst while navigating a bend in Pong Nam Ron district, Chanthaburi. The crash left multiple passengers injured, including an elderly woman who was thrown through the windscreen and trapped under the vehicle in critical condition.

 

At approximately 11:00 on 1 March, Police Lieutenant Somchai Sarakate, an investigator from Pong Nam Ron Police Station, received a report of the accident on Highway 3193, in front of the Thawaphithak Marine Corps Special Task Force Camp. Emergency responders from Sawang Katanyu Foundation rushed to the scene.

 

The white Toyota passenger van, operating as a chartered service, with registration from Nakhon Ratchasima, was found damaged in the middle of the road. The windscreen was shattered, and personal belongings were scattered across the scene. Military personnel and medical staff from Thawaphithak Camp provided first aid to the injured passengers, while medics performed CPR on the 60-year-old woman before transporting her to Pong Nam Ron Hospital in critical condition.

 

The driver, 57-year-old Somsak from Nakhon Ratchasima, who also sustained injuries, stated that he had been transporting passengers from Bangkok to the Phak Khat border market in Pong Nam Ron. While navigating a bend, the right front tyre suddenly burst, causing the van to veer out of control. Despite his efforts to regain control, the van flipped onto its side and skidded along the road. The most seriously injured passenger was ejected through the windscreen and became trapped beneath the vehicle. Somsak added that the tyres had been replaced less than a month ago.

 

Authorities stated that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.

 

-- 2025-03-02

 

In Buriram they've started replacing these horrid old dangerous minibuses with new bigger more robust safer vehicles.  Whenever I see them on a motorway I'm always nervous because they believe the roads are free for all and I keep a wide berth.

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

While navigating a bend, the right front tyre suddenly burst, causing the van to veer out of control. Despite his efforts to regain control, the van flipped onto its side and skidded along the road. The most seriously injured passenger was ejected through the windscreen and became trapped beneath the vehicle. Somsak added that the tyres had been replaced less than a month ago.

 

Authorities stated that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.

 

It would have been nice to see a photo of that tire.

 

I quit taking kamikaze vans after my 2nd trip.  The first one was so white knuckle bad I thought it must be a fluke.  The second (and last) trip confirmed that it wasn't.  I'll still take a van that's been arranged by friends or the company with a driver that they know personally.  But never a random driver again.