CHIANG RAI – Rescue workers have saved a one-and-a-half-year-old girl trapped in her car seat under the wreck of a ten-wheel freight truck after it crashed in Khun Chae National Park, Chiang Rai. The father, who was driving, suffered serious injuries, while the mother died at the scene.
At around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, the Sawang Wiang Pa Pao Thammasathan Foundation received an emergency call that a ten-wheel truck had gone off the mountain road near Khun Chae National Park, Mae Chedi Mai, Wiang Pa Pao, Chiang Rai. The incident left one person dead and two others hurt. After the call, rescue teams coordinated with local police, Wiang Pa Pao Hospital, and other relevant agencies to assist.
The crash happened along Highway 118 (Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai) at a curve near the park office. When police and rescue staff arrived, they found a damaged guardrail and debris scattered all over the road. Down the steep slope, they spotted a white Hino ten-wheel truck overturned after tumbling off the road and hitting rocks below.
In the roadside grass, rescuers found a seriously injured man, later identified as Surasak Sriubon, 28, from Wang Phai, Huai Krachao, Kanchanaburi. He was rushed to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital and is believed to be the driver.
Close to the wreck, they found the body of a woman, thought to be the driver’s wife. She was later identified as Ms Busabawan Prempreeda, 24, from Nong Kham, Nong Ya Sai, Suphan Buri. Rescue workers moved her body to the road and sent it for a post-mortem at the hospital.
During the search, they found another victim, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl named Wipada, trapped in a child seat in the back of the overturned truck. The child was alive and crying at times, but with the truck upside down, rescuers had to carefully cut into the wreck for 30-40 minutes to get her out.
Luckily, she had no major visible injuries but was frightened and crying. She received first aid before being taken to Wiang Pa Pao Hospital.
According to highway police, the spot where the freight truck when off the road has seen similar accidents before. Last year, a truck carrying dried longan from Chiang Mai lost control at this same curve and fell, killing the driver.
In this most recent crash, early reports suggest the truck was hauling goods from Chiang Mai and lost grip while going downhill, hit the guardrail, and plunged into the valley. Officers also found a roll of cable that the truck was carrying at the crash site.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
