Sedan’s reckless cut leaves pickup all washed up in canal drama
In a shocking crash caught on dashcam, a white sedan recklessly cut in front of a pickup truck, sending it careening off the road and into a canal. Three passengers had to smash the window to escape the sinking vehicle.
The incident unfolded on the Khok Kruat to Don Kwaen route, near the entrance to Ban Nong Song Hong in the Maptakoean subdistrict of Khon Buri district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The jaw-dropping footage, shared on social media by an eagle-eyed Facebook user, sparked a storm of comments and fuelled suspicions of a potential scam behind the hair-raising event.
Nattapat Kongkem, the 32 year old owner of Petch and James Service Garage, shared that the incident happened around 3.40pm on Sunday, October 20. Nattapat was driving back after delivering goods to a customer, heading towards Khon Buri district. He noted that the white sedan had been following the pickup truck for about 2 kilometres before the accident occurred.
Suddenly, the white sedan overtook the pickup on the right and then abruptly swerved back in front of it on the left, causing the pickup to lose control and plunge into the canal. Nattapat, who witnessed the event, quickly reversed his car to assist. The white sedan, however, sped away from the scene.
The pickup truck, an Isuzu D-Max with a bronze registration from Nakhon Ratchasima, ended up overturned with its cabin submerged in water. The 50 year old driver, Virat, and his two passengers, a 37 year old woman named Kornpat and her 10 year old daughter, were trapped inside.
Virat managed to break the front window with a metal pipe, allowing them to escape. Fortunately, none of the occupants sustained injuries.
Road accident
Virat later recounted that they were returning from a trip to Chanthaburi province and were only about 5 kilometres from home when the incident occurred. It had recently stopped raining, so he was driving cautiously at about 60 to 70 kilometres per hour.
He described how the white sedan suddenly swerved in front of his vehicle and appeared to brake, causing the collision. Despite the impact, the sedan continued driving without stopping, added Virat.
“When the car overturned and was half-submerged, I had to gather my wits, grab a metal rod, and break the front window to get my sister and niece out. Luckily, the cabin was only slightly compressed, and the dashboard pinned my legs, but we managed to escape.
“If we had been driving faster or if the water level had been higher, we might not have survived.”
Virat expressed his confusion and concern about the motives behind the sedan driver’s actions. He mentioned that he had no known enemies and suspected it might have been an intentional act or part of a scam.
Virat plans to file a report with the Khon Buri Police Station to ensure that the incident is documented and to encourage police to investigate and prevent similar occurrences in the future, reported KhaoSod.
“I don’t know what the driver of the sedan intended, but I want the police to find and hold them accountable. Whether it was deliberate or not, it’s important to address this to prevent it from happening again.”
