Taxi Crash After Local Polls Kills Three in Pathum Thani

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

Three people were killed and one seriously injured when a hired taxi crashed into the rear of a ten-wheel lorry in the early hours of 12 January 2026, trapping some of the occupants inside the wreckage. The collision occurred at about 02:00 on Highway 345 (Bang Phun–Bang Bua Thong), kilometre 13, on the Pathum Thani 2 flyover heading towards Nonthaburi, causing major disruption and an emergency rescue operation.

Police from Pak Khlong Rangsit station said the orange MG public taxi, operated by Bowon Taxi Cooperative Ltd and registered in Bangkok, ploughed into the back of a white Isuzu ten-wheel truck registered in Sa Kaeo. Inside the crushed passenger compartment were four people, one man and three women, with rescue workers forced to use cutting equipment to free them.

The dead were identified as taxi driver Sinthrap Sammarngkai, 58, and passengers Khamwan Muenthaen, 51 and Banyen Muenthaen, 46. A fourth passenger, Phanatsada Phinyok, 21, who had been seated in the rear, was pulled from the wreckage with critical injuries and rushed to Pathum Thani Hospital for treatment.

Police said vegetables carried in the taxi were scattered across the roadway following the impact. Forensic doctors from the Ministry of Justice and volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation attended the scene alongside ambulance crews.

Truck driver Arun Mordi, 54, told investigators he was transporting tapioca flour from Sa Kaeo to a customer in Nonthaburi and had been travelling steadily in the middle lane. He said he heard a loud impact from behind and felt the vehicle jolt before stopping to find the taxi embedded in the rear of his lorry.

Rescue workers later contacted the daughter of Banyen Muenthaen, who said they had hired the taxi together to travel from Bangkok to Surin province to vote in a local Subdistrict Administrative Organisation election. They were returning to Bangkok and planned to drop one relative in Nonthaburi before continuing to Sukhumvit Soi 101 when the crash occurred.

Daily News reported that investigating officer Lt Cdr Nithiruj Nojnarattitham said photographs were taken as evidence and the lorry driver was questioned at the scene. A heavy recovery vehicle was called in to remove the wreckage and reopen the road, while the bodies were transferred to the Ministry of Justice’s forensic institute for post-mortem examinations ahead of funeral arrangements.

Key Takeaways

• A hired taxi returning from a local election trip crashed into a lorry, killing three people and seriously injuring one.

• The crash happened at 02:00 on 12 January 2026 on Highway 345 in Pathum Thani.

• Police are continuing their investigation after clearing the scene and questioning the lorry driver.

Related Stories

Pickup-truck-crash-kills-married-couple-driver

Car-driver-loses-control-hits-parked-vehicles-killing-two

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Dailynews 2026-01-13