Northern Thailand
Passenger Van Crashes into Roadside Pavilion Injuring 13 People
Thirteen people have been injured after a passenger van crashed into a roadside pavilion in northeastern Thailand late Monday night. The crash occurred on Chok Chai-Det Udom Road in Nakhon Ratchasima.
Pol Col Inthorn Thipkhunok, a duty-officer at Chok Chai police station, said the accident was reported at 11.24pm, Monday. He said the passenger van, was transporting 12 passengers from Si Sa Ket province to Bangkok. The driver allegedly lost control at a curve and crashed into a roadside pavilion.
The Driver Jatuphat Benjakun, 55, and all 12 other passengers were injured, two severely. They were rushed to Chok Chai Hospital, said police. Nine women, a four-year-old girl and three men on board the passenger van were injured.
Road Deaths Top 200 in 4 Days
On Dec 27th, 9 people have been injured, five seriously, after a passenger van travelling to Chiang Mai crashed into a roadside tree. The accident happened in Ko Kha district of Lampang, Saturday.
The passenger van was transporting New year revelers from Saraburi to Chiang Mai.
Pol Capt Kankawee Meetham, said police and rescue workers found the van crashed into a tree upon arriving at the scene. The Driver Suchart Srisuwan, 57, and eight other passengers; — seven adults and a 10-year-old girl — were consequently injured. Five were severely injured and therefore rushed to Hospital in Lampang.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Road Safety Center reports that in the first 4 days of New Years “7 Dangerous Days” there have been 1,988 accidents, 208 Killed and 2,031 injured. Drunk driving is also the number one cause of accidents and death.
From Friday to Monday, 4,856 people were prosecuted for drink driving, 63 were repeat offenders. Casualties remained high even as authorities tried hard to campaign for road safety.
On the first four days of the “7 Dangerous Days” Bangkok saw the highest death toll of eleven. The number of injured people also peaked at 66 in Nakhon Pathom Province. The highest number of accidents happened in Chiang Mai with 61. Furthermore 16 out of 77 provinces in the country remained free of death from traffic accidents.
Furthermore on Monday alone, there were 485 road accidents and 48 people were killed and 484 injured. Consequently Drunk driving remained the most common factor. Drunk driving was responsible in 33.2% of the accidents, followed up by speeding (28.7%). Even more motorcycles were involved in 81.8% of all accidents in the Nation.
Source: Bangkok Post, One31News
