PHETCHABURI – A late-night crash on Phetkasem Road (inbound to Bangkok) caused chaos in Ban Lat district after a passenger bus slammed into the back of a 10-wheel lorry.
Several passengers were injured, with one passenger being thrown through a window and landing on the road with serious injuries. Soon after, a separate pile-up happened nearby involving six more vehicles, leaving traffic backed up for kilometres.
Police received the emergency call at about 5.30 am on 26 December. The collision happened on the main inbound lanes near km markers 162+425 in the Tamrong subdistrict, Ban Lat, Phetchaburi.
Officers alerted local rescue and medical teams, including staff from Mahachai Phetcharat Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Phetchaburi, and the Sawang Sanphet Thammasathan Foundation in Phetchaburi, to help at the scene.
When teams arrived, they found a blue-and-white passenger coach from Srisuthep Tour Co., Ltd., marked with side number 981-14 and yellow plate 15-2192 Bangkok. The front of the coach was heavily damaged.
More than 10 people were injured. One passenger was said to have been hurled through the glass and out of the vehicle, suffering critical injuries after hitting the road.
Rescuers worked quickly in crowded conditions to provide first aid and move the injured to nearby hospitals. Police also contacted the coach company to arrange a replacement vehicle for passengers who were not hurt, so they could continue their journey.
About 100 metres from the coach, a 10-wheel lorry carrying a full load of sandbags was found overturned at the roadside. The vehicle, with yellow plate 70-2079 ชุมพร, was driven by 54-year-old Nikorn Srisawat, who suffered minor injuries.
He told officers he was travelling from the South towards Bangkok when the coach hit the rear of his lorry with force, causing it to lose control and roll over. The coach then slid more than 100 metres, which led to multiple passenger injuries.
Not long after the first crash, a second accident happened around 100 metres before the main impact point. Three more 10-wheel lorries, two cars, and a passenger minibus from บขส. collided in a rear-end chain reaction.
The combined incidents caused long queues stretching several kilometres. Traffic police worked to divert vehicles onto parallel lanes while investigators began checking the exact cause of the crashes.
