Thai delivery driver asleep at the wheel, killing himself and 2 others

A tragic accident occurred today, involving a pick-up truck and a private car in Sairok district of Thailand‘s Kanchanaburi province. The collision resulted in the loss of three lives, including a husband and wife who were on holiday. The suspected cause of the incident is the truck driver’s drowsiness while driving.

At the scene of the accident, a white Toyota Vigo pick-up truck was found to have collided with a bronze Pajero car. The truck driver, 45 year old Wichet Nakwong, was discovered lifeless behind the wheel. In the Pajero, a 64 year old man named Manoch, and his wife, 62 year old Siriwann, also lost their lives. After the initial examination by medical teams, the bodies were transported to Sai Yok Hospital.

It was reported that Wichet was transporting goods from Pathum Thani to Thong Pha Phum District. Prior to the accident, he had informed his friend in another vehicle that he was feeling drowsy and intended to find a resting place soon. However, moments later, his truck suddenly veered into the opposite lane, resulting in the fatal collision with Manoch’s vehicle. Manoch and his wife, who owned an ornamental plant business in Nakhon Pathom, were visiting Kanchanaburi to meet with relatives on their day off.

Both families were notified of the tragic accident, and extreme grief was expressed upon their arrival at the hospital.

The ThaiRSC reported in January that as many as 939,713 road accidents were reported in Thailand last year, up 4.7% from 2021. Road accidents killed 14,737 people, and injured 924,799 last year, ThaiRSC said. The committee reported that 536 deaths and 7,885 injuries were among foreigners.

Following the Songkran holiday this year, during the ‘seven deadly days‘ from April 11 to 17, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) revealed that there were 2,203 road accidents, 2,208 injuries, and 264 deaths during this period.

Bangkok recorded the highest number of fatalities with 22 deaths. Chiang Rai had the highest number of accidents with 68, while Nakhon Si Thammarat recorded the highest number of injuries with 70.