Thai motorbike rider killed in crash with minivan full of tourists in Pattaya

A fatal road accident occurred early this morning when a Thai man, 33 year old Saroj Salao, crashed his motorbike into a white Toyota minivan carrying foreign tourists. The incident happened on Thep Prasit Road at the entrance of Soi Thepprasit 11 in Pattaya, near a road barrier amid ongoing construction work.

Sawang Boriboon rescuers arrived at the scene at around 5.45am but were unable to save Saroj, who had already lost a considerable amount of blood. His black and red Yamaha Mio 125 GTX motorbike was found severely damaged, with its parts scattered all over the street. Authorities also discovered the minivan with a crumpled bumper and its uninjured driver, 41 year old Kriengchai Chusrichan.

In an interview with The Pattaya News, Kriengchai shared his account of the events leading up to the tragic incident. While driving with ten foreign passengers on board, he noticed roadwork ahead and the partial blockade caused by construction barriers. He spotted the victim approaching the site at high speed on his motorbike. In a bid to avoid the barrier, Saroj swerved but failed to return to his lane, crashing head-on into the minivan.

Although the impact startled the tourists, none of them were injured. Saroj’s body has been transported to Banglamung Hospital, where funeral arrangements will be made.

Pattaya Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage to determine the exact cause of the accident.

With its bustling city life and thriving tourism industry, Pattaya has its fair share of traffic and road safety challenges.

Earlier this week, a motorcyclist in Pattaya died after crashing into a tour bus on Sukhumvit Road.

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.