Picture courtesy of Khoasod.

 

A serious road crash in the early hours of the morning of 7 May, has left more than a dozen people injured after a pickup truck slammed into a concrete barrier and collided head-on with a passenger van on Asia Highway 41 in Chumphon province.

 

According to police reports from Pol Sub-Lt. Wimon Kaewchu of the Chumphon Highway Police, the incident occurred in Moo 1, Khun Krathing subdistrict, Mueang District, at a location where ongoing roadworks had forced vehicles travelling southbound to use a special contraflow lane on the northbound carriageway. Concrete barriers had been placed to divide the temporary lanes, but crucially, there were no warning lights installed along the work zone.

 

Eyewitnesses and rescue workers at the scene reported that a Toyota pickup truck, registered in Bangkok, appeared to be unaware of the barrier in the darkened area and ploughed directly into it. The impact sent the barrier flying before the vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Toyota passenger van operating as a non-scheduled hire vehicle registered in Pattani.

 

The pickup truck, carrying three people, sustained frontal damage. The driver, identified as Mr Montree and two passengers, Ms Phana and Mr Chanchai, were all injured and transported to Chumphon Hospital.

 

The van, carrying 12 Cambodian nationals, was en route from Sa Kaeo province to Songkhla. The driver, Mr Hibraoheng 49, became trapped behind the wheel following the collision. Rescue personnel used hydraulic cutting tools to extract him, and he was rushed to hospital with a severely injured right leg. The passengers also sustained varying degrees of injury.

 

Mr Suriya, 44, a local rescue volunteer who lives nearby, was among the first on the scene. He confirmed that the location had seen more than 10 similar incidents since repairs began. He criticised the lack of adequate lighting and warning signals along the makeshift contraflow route, stating that only minimal lighting had been placed at the start and end of the section.

 

One eyewitness riding a motorcycle behind the van reported seeing the pickup truck coming from the opposite direction and failing to notice the barrier before the collision occurred. The witness added that road set up and lack of visibility likely contributed to the crash.

 

Authorities from the Chumphon Highway Police said they would file a report with the local Department of Highways office, urging immediate action to install adequate warning lights and signage in the construction zone to prevent further accidents. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported in this latest incident. A full investigation into the precise cause of the crash is now underway.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-08.

 

 

 

 

Unlit roadworks again it's very dangerous at night it's about time they did something about it