Pickup Truck Carrying Coconuts Crashes into Parked Vehicle and Tree, Driver Killed

Picture from responders.

A crash occurred in the early hours of the morning of 5 March, when a pickup truck carrying a full load of coconuts lost control and crashed into a parked vehicle before careering into a tree and plunging into a roadside ditch. The driver was killed instantly.

The incident took place at approximately 04:40 on Phetkasem Road, inbound towards Bangkok, at kilometre marker 177+200 in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi province. Police investigator Lt. Busakorn Wongsaroj from Cha-am Police Station was alerted to the crash and rushed to the scene along with rescue teams from Sawang Sanphet Foundation and the highway rescue unit.

Upon arrival, officers discovered a Nissan pickup truck with Bangkok registration plates parked by the roadside. The vehicle had been hit on the right-hand side, sustaining damage. Fortunately, its driver escaped unharmed.

Nearby, a heavily damaged Isuzu pickup truck with a Chumphon registration plate was found overturned in a ditch. The vehicle had been carrying a full load of coconuts, when the driver first collided with the parked Nissan before veering off the road and crashing into a tree. The driver, Mr Rungroj, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency responders transferred his body to Cha-am Hospital for a preliminary examination. Medical staff later ordered a more detailed autopsy at Phra Chom Klao Hospital in Phetchaburi to determine the precise cause of death.

The driver of the parked vehicle, identified as Mr Lek, 48, told investigators that he had been travelling from Hua Hin towards Bang Pa-in but had pulled over to the side of the road to check his GPS as he was unfamiliar with the route.

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

-- 2025-03-06