Truck driver dies after six-wheel lorry plunges into canal

A truck driver, unfamiliar with the route and driving in heavy rain, lost control of a six-wheel truck, causing it to plunge into a canal, resulting in his death. Before succumbing to the water, he desperately knocked on the window for help.

Police Lieutenant Suchanan Phromma, from the Mueang Chachoengsao Police Station, yesterday, August 4, reported receiving a call at 10.30pm the previous day about a six-wheel truck that had veered off the road and fallen into the Nakorn Nueang Khet canal. The police, along with forensic doctors from Phutthasothon Hospital and rescue workers from Chachoengsao, rushed to the scene.

The incident occurred in the middle of Soi Wat Saint Lok, Village No. 4, Nakorn Nueang Khet subdistrict, Mueang district, Chachoengsao province. The site is characterised by a sharp curve.

Black skid marks stretched along the road, leading to a Hino six-wheel truck, registered in Roi Et and belonging to a transport company. The truck had plunged head-first into the canal, which is over 2 metres deep. Rescue teams coordinated with a passing harvester to pull the truck out of the water.

Inside the vehicle, the deceased, 41 year old Waikun, was found slumped in the passenger seat. Both doors of the truck were locked. Rescue workers had to break the windows to retrieve the body for examination by the medical team.

A 42 year old resident, Sureewan, who witnessed the incident, stated that heavy rain was falling when the truck lost control and careened into the canal.

“The deceased was trying to knock on the window for help, but the truck’s front end quickly submerged into the over two-metre-deep water, making it impossible to break the window in time.”

Preliminary police investigations suggest that the driver was likely unfamiliar with the road. Coupled with the poor visibility due to the heavy rain and the dark conditions, the driver did not notice the curve ahead. Upon realising the approaching canal, the driver attempted to brake. However, the rain-soaked road caused the truck to skid and plunge into the canal, reported KhaoSod.

The body has been handed over to the Chachoengsao rescue team to be transported to Phutthasothon Hospital for a detailed autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Authorities will then contact the deceased’s family for the religious rites.