Pictures courtesy of Amarin

 

A pickup truck crash in Chiang Mai on 9 September caused widespread destruction, killing one person and injuring another. The accident occurred at around 15:00, along Nong Ho Road (Route 1366) when the driver lost control on a curve and slammed into a power pole. The impact triggered a chain reaction that toppled 52 poles, destroyed transformers and damaged homes.

 

The Chiang Mai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office confirmed that a 27-year-old passenger died at the scene, while the 24-year-old driver sustained injuries. Dashcam footage of the incident, posted on Facebook by user Nikon Na Chiang Muan, quickly went viral, showing the vehicle veering out of control before striking the pole. The footage drew significant attention online, highlighting the scale of the incident.

 

Officials reported that the crash destroyed seven transformers and 34 electrical meters in addition to the 52 downed poles. Around 20 nearby homes were damaged and the collapse left large parts of the area without power. Roads were blocked by fallen poles and debris, disrupting local traffic and access.

 

Emergency responders and electricity crews were deployed to the site to secure the area and restore services. Firefighters and Provincial Electricity Authority teams worked together to extinguish fires, clear hazards and the removal of downed lines carrying high-voltage currents. Authorities said repair efforts would continue throughout the night, until power and safe road access were fully restored.

 

The disaster prevention office stressed the seriousness of the incident, urging drivers to exercise caution on the route where the crash occurred. Eyewitness accounts described shock and panic as the poles fell, while residents assessed the damage to their properties. The viral video has been used by officials as supporting evidence in their investigation.

 

Looking ahead, authorities are focused on assessing the full extent of the damage and ensuring that electricity supply and traffic flow return to normal as soon as possible. Repairing 52 poles and related infrastructure is expected to take considerable time. The investigation into the crash and potential contributing factors is ongoing.
 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• A pickup truck crash in Chiang Mai on 9 September killed one passenger and injured the driver.

• The impact toppled 52 power poles, destroyed seven transformers and damaged 20 homes.

• Authorities are working to restore power, clear debris and investigate the cause.

 

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Ice Truck Driver Dozes-off Crashes into Power Pole

 

Pick-up Truck Crashes in Heavy Rain Girlfriend Killed

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin  2025-09-10

 

 

 

Ok....power poles falling over in vehicle smashes is very common here in Thailand....maybe these crappy concrete poles with minimal reinforcement...ain't suitable nowadays??

The picture is a HV pole....~11,000V .....pretty damn serious...and it snapped!

The warp speed idiot survived.

Passenger died.

How unfair.

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

crash destroyed seven transformers and 34 electrical meters in addition to the 52 downed poles. Around 20 nearby homes were damaged 

Crikey, he's going to get a huge bill. 

 

Bloody idiot, all these people homes without power and their vehicles stuck, unable to travel to and from school etc. 

8 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

The warp speed idiot survived.

Passenger died.

How unfair.

Yes, very unfair and happens too many times. 

I often read articles where drivers survives, killing their passenger (girlfriend). 

 

So sad. 

 

Takes a huge impact to break one of these big poles!! The speed the poles came down it looks like it was very lucky that no more were killed!

I once went on a pole course for BT all about load stay wires concrete /wooden poles and the twang when something hits an overloaded pole no one dose a load test here that's for sure 🤔

 

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The investigation into the crash and potential contributing factors is ongoing.

 

The main factor was the speed, and the moron couldnt control his vehicle.

Is this why the power here failed yesterday afternoon?

 

 

Have not heard of 52 poles coming down because on 1 in ant other country. You expect there is something in the design to prevent it. But TIT

30 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

The warp speed idiot survived.

Passenger died.

How unfair.

Not so much speed, but the shabby way those poles were erected that one car can topple 52 power poles, who were erected with individual support, so much for Thai engineering, 

I have to say, the dashcam drivers two cries of "ohh" followed by a deep sigh was remarkably restrained!

 

Under those circumstances I think I would have been considerably more outspoken!

It's so common they even have an advert   of how to exit your vehicle

surrounded by high voltage cables 😋

 

54 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Is this why the power here failed yesterday afternoon?

 

 

Probably, and most likely a good amount of area in jedyot including the bee hive you live in.

Those concrete power poles don't seem very resilient or sturdy.

 

Maybe they should make them round, and also increase the diameter of each pole.

And, maybe add more high-grade rebar, too.

 

 

I drive through this road several days per week, and watched the construction of these new HV poles.  I believe the old system had 22kV poles that were not removed.  So this road has an interleaved pattern of tall HV and not so tall 22kV poles.  Fortunately it was early in the afternoon.  If after 8pm, the restaurant Him Gong that was destroyed and burned by the fallen poles (and neighboring restaurants) are full of customers. 

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

Have not heard of 52 poles coming down because on 1 in ant other country. You expect there is something in the design to prevent it. But TIT

 

In Las Vegas this summer, nobody even hit these poles:

 

 

 

I'd chalk it up to the 5th Law of Thermodynamics:  Sometimes, $%^$# happens.

 

https://www.latintimes.com/

 

Las Vegas Residents Skeptical After Dozens of Power Lines Knocked Down Due to Strong Winds: 'But Not One Tree Is Knocked Down'

 

(Edit:  And, yes.  Las Vegas is a Blue city in a Red state)

 

Shocking accident!

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Shocking accident!

Accidents are caused this one was caused by driving to fast for the road conditions. 

7 minutes ago, Hardcastle P said:

Accidents are caused this one was caused by driving to fast for the road conditions. 

One pole falling is an accident.

52 poles falling is a design fault.

My wife heard on TV that about 30 of the 52 power poles have a price tag of 700'000 Baht each.

Go figure.

15 minutes ago, Hardcastle P said:

Accidents are caused this one was caused by driving to fast for the road conditions. 

Maybe just the driver since that road is actually wide and in very good condition.

does anyone know what he was transporting and if the pickup was overloaded?  Some pics showed water jugs tossed about.  Maybe he was hauling 2 tons of bottled water on suspension and brakes that were not up for the job on that curve.