A Russian tourist lost her life, and 11 others sustained injuries in a van crash on Phuket's Thep Kasattri Road early on March 18. The van, carrying tourists en route to Similan Island in Phang Nga, slammed into a street light, causing severe damage. Police responded to the incident around 4 a.m., accompanied by rescue personnel from Kusol Dham Phuket Foundation and a medical team from Thalang Hospital.

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The accident left the vehicle severely damaged, particularly at the front, with a shattered windscreen after a broken guardrail penetrated the van. The deceased woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene. Among the injured, three passengers were trapped inside, and rescue workers had to employ metal-cutting tools to extricate them before taking all injured parties to local hospitals.

Denchai, the 41-year-old driver, escaped unhurt and claimed he was neither intoxicated nor drowsy during the incident. He stated that he had slowed down upon observing a trailer moving ahead but subsequently lost control, causing the crash. The cause remains under investigation, with law enforcement actively seeking to understand how the guardrail punctured the vehicle.

Currently, police have not taken any legal action against Denchai pending further inquiry. The driver had been transporting the Russian tourists from Karon sub-district, Phuket, to their destination in Phang Nga, reported The Thaiger.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Thaiger · 18 Mar 2026

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1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Denchai, the 41-year-old driver, escaped unhurt and claimed he was neither intoxicated nor drowsy during the incident. He stated that he had slowed down upon observing a trailer moving ahead but subsequently lost control, causing the crash.

I don't believe a word.

Reads like: I dose off, saw the trailer much too late, slammed the breaks and then off we go.

4 AM adds to the general risk of vans doing "charter"/tours.

About the hardest time to stay awake.

12 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

I don't believe a word.

Makes 2 of us.

Just now, tomazbodner said:

Makes 2 of us.

No, three.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on his mobile instead of driving.

12 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

I don't believe a word.

Reads like: I dose off, saw the trailer much too late, slammed the breaks and then off we go.

4 AM adds to the general risk of vans doing "charter"/tours.

About the hardest time to stay awake.

I had just put my phone down and looked up when..........

Another report says the driver told police he had a medical condition which reduced his ability to concentrate. Fact is, because of him, passengers have been badly injured and one has died, sadly.

18 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Another report says the driver told police he had a medical condition which reduced his ability to concentrate. Fact is, because of him, passengers have been badly injured and one has died, sadly.

If that is true, he should not have been driving a tourist van. In any event I'm sure excessive speed would have been the primary cause of this accident. I see these vans every day running between Phuket and Khao Lak and vice versa. They are always the fastest vehicles on the highway leaving no margin for error if anything unexpected happens.

" He stated that he had slowed down upon observing a trailer moving ahead but subsequently lost control, causing the crash "

So lost control going too fast as don't usually lose control when braking at an average speed.

Or is it brake failure again 🙄

Sad indeed. But I suspect there is more to the story than the driver is admitting. Because if there is one universal truth it's that Thais don't take responsibility for their poor driving skills.

As long as such preventable incidents are termed accidents, they will continue to be ignored. Accidents are sudden, unpredictable and usually unavoidable events. Poor vehicle maintenance, incompetent and dangerous drivers are not "accidents".

........He stated that he had slowed down upon observing a trailer moving ahead but subsequently lost control, causing the crash........

From 180 kph to 140 kph

DRIVER said " he was neither intoxicated nor drowsy" but driving Thai style... no need to say more !

11 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

No, three.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on his mobile instead of driving.

That makes 4 of us- very suspicious indeed

And condolences to the sad victim and her family RIP

On 3/18/2026 at 5:55 PM, snoop1130 said:

A Russian tourist lost her life

On 3/18/2026 at 5:55 PM, snoop1130 said:

slammed into a street light, causing severe damage

Yes, losing one's life is a severe damage to the body.

Sad reporting.

Tthe article doesn't say anything about the driver being breathalysed.

On 3/19/2026 at 12:22 PM, Peterphuket said:

No, three.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on his mobile instead of driving.

No four. If we get 12 like a jury he will be found guilty and off to jail.

23 hours ago, cynic1 said:

No four. If we get 12 like a jury he will be found guilty and off to jail.

I could reply using a different nickname; that way, we’ll have at least 12.