Tourists injured as sleepy driver crashes Fortuner into truck near Bangkok
A Toyota Fortuner carrying two tourists to Suvarnabhumi Airport was involved in a collision after the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. The incident occurred at 6.30am today, March 13, when the SUV veered off course and slammed into the back of a 10-wheeler truck. The aftermath of the crash left passengers injured, requiring immediate medical attention.
At the scene on the Motorway, at kilometre marker 41 heading towards Bangkok, in the Bang Wua area of Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao province, authorities discovered the badly damaged Fortuner with Bangkok registration plate 4ขฬ2048. The 34 year old driver, Rittichai (surname withheld), admitted to losing control of the vehicle due to drowsiness, leading to the forceful collision with the truck driven by 51 year old Khomsan, also from Bangkok, which was struck on its right rear side.
In addition to the physical wreckage, the Danish male and female tourists suffered injuries and were promptly treated by emergency services before being transported to the nearby Chularat 11 Hospital for further care. The truck, an Isuzu with license plate 67-4725, also sustained significant damage from the impact, reported KhoaSod.
Following the accident, Rittichai recounted to Lieutenant Colonel Pongsarun Wangplub of the Highway Police that while driving the tourists to the airport, he fell asleep, causing his vehicle to crash into Khomsan’s truck, which was travelling in the left lane. This statement was part of the initial investigation conducted by the authorities, who arrived at the rest area at Khao Din along with rescue units from Chachoengsao to assess the situation and provide necessary assistance.
In related news, an accident on Highway 7 en route to Pattaya, left two brothers dead and several Indonesian tourists injured on Monday, March 4 at 3pm.
The accident involved a six-wheeled truck and a minivan which collided with each other. Promptly responding to the distress call, Highway Police dispatched rescue personnel.
