Brake failure leads to crane lorry crash into Nakhon Sawan shops
A terrifying escape from death unfolded in Nakhon Sawan province when a crane lorry’s brakes failed, causing the vehicle to veer off, hitting a roadside shop, and causing severe damage. The incident, which took place yesterday, reportedly resulted in a noodle shop owner being scalded by boiling water. The driver insisted that he hadn’t consumed alcohol prior to the incident.
The crane, belonging to a company, was found parked across the road after it had ploughed into a roadside pork and rice shop, causing extensive damage. Additionally, two other nearby shops, a noodle shop, and a grocery store, as well as a car repair garage and three motorcycles, were also heavily damaged.
One casualty was reported, a woman who owned the noodle shop suffered burns from hot water all over her body. She was given immediate first aid by the rescue team before being taken to Sawan Pracharak Hospital.
The 45 year old driver, Phiphatt (surname withheld), did not flee the scene. He reported that he was returning the crane to the company after completing work in Chum Saeng district, Nakhon Sawan.
Upon reaching the accident site, he discovered that he was unable to control the vehicle due to a sudden failure of the vehicle’s air system, which controls the brakes and transmission.
Phiphatt further explained that he had swerved to avoid a sedan in front of him, losing control and crashing into the noodle shop before spinning and hitting the grocery store, the car repair garage, and the pork and rice shop. He affirmed that the accident was unexpected, as he had managed to drive well after leaving work and had not consumed any alcohol.
The owner of the pork and rice shop, a 66 year old man named Saiyan (surname withheld), said that his shop was already closed at the time of the incident. He was shocked when he heard a loud crash from the front of his shop. When he turned to look, he saw the front of the crane slowly sweeping across his shop, causing extensive damage.
Saiyan said that when the crane hit the shop, his granddaughter was sitting in front of the premises.
“Thankfully, my daughter saw it in time and rushed to pick up my granddaughter and they both managed to escape. As for my shop, it will be closed for a while as the damage is extensive, not only is the shop completely destroyed, but the goods and various items for sale have also been damaged.”
The 45 year old owner of the noodle shop, Traitratt (surname withheld), who was the first to be hit, said he and his wife were arranging the shop to open for the night shift when they were startled by the crane avoiding a sedan and crashing into their shop. Traitratt managed to jump aside but his wife was scalded by the soup from the overturned pot due to the impact of the crane hitting their shop.
Initial investigations led to Phiphatt being taken into custody for further questioning.
Meanwhile, the damage cost is yet to be determined. A crane company team arrived at the scene to assess the situation and assured the victims that the crane was insured and the company would compensate for all the damages. The company representatives speculated that the cause could be a sudden failure of the crane’s air pump system, resulting in brake failure. The crane will be thoroughly inspected again, reported Khaosod Online.
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