MAE SOT – A passenger van smashed into the back of a parked truck on a busy highway in Tak province, killing 5 people right away, and another nine suffered injuries, with two in serious condition.
Police Lieutenant Kiattisak Bunplong from Mae Tho Police Station said police rushed to the scene on Highway 12, the Tak-Mae Sot road heading into Tak city in Ban Huai Nueang village, Mae Tho subdistrict, Mueang Tak district.
He told Thai media that rescue teams from Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat Hospital arrived quickly. At the crash site, they found the van badly crushed. It was a provincial Tak-Mae Sot route passenger van. Nikhom Kaowinam, 72, the driver from Mae Sot district in Tak, died on impact.
The van hit the rear right corner of a 10-wheeler truck from Pathum Thani. Rescuers and nearby folks worked together. They pulled injured passengers from the wreckage. Some needed CPR and defibrillators right there. However, five people didn’t survive.
Two men and three women lost their lives instantly. One victim was a new nurse at Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat Hospital. She had just started work on April 1. Besides the deaths, two people faced severe injuries. Seven others had minor wounds.
Eyewitnesses shared key details. The truck driver, Mr Wiset Mani Kham, 42, from San Pa Tong district in Chiang Mai, had parked close to the left shoulder. He crossed the road to buy something opposite. Then, as he headed back, the van started swerving.
Witnesses believe the van driver nodded off. Next thing, the van plowed hard into the truck’s back end. The front of the van crumpled. That trapped and killed the driver plus front passengers immediately.
Police plan a full probe; they will question more witnesses. Forensics experts will check the evidence too. In the end, they aim to find the truth for everyone involved.
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