Car crash in Chiang Mai kills 5, including pregnant woman

A car accident between a pickup and a hospital ambulance on the Chiang Mai-Phrao Road in the northern province of Chiang Mai injured six people and killed five others, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

The Chiang Mai Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office received notification of the accident at around 5.20pm yesterday, May 9. The Thai authorities and rescuers from several foundations responded to the scene on the Chiang Mai-Phrao Road in the Mae Taeng district.

Upon arrival, officers found two heavily damaged vehicles near the roadside forest. The recent rain left the road slick. All drivers and passengers from both vehicles sustained injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals.

Four people travelled in the ambulance including the driver, a medical worker, a pregnant woman, and her relative, while the pickup carried six people.

ThaiRath reported that the ambulance driver was struck while seated in the driver’s seat, necessitating the use of a metal cutting tool by rescuers to remove him from the vehicle. The medical worker is said to have sustained limb deformities as a result of the incident.

Five people succumbed to their injuries at the hospital including three people in the pickup car along with the pregnant woman and her fetus. Six people remain at hospitals. Each people who involved were identified as below:

Five deceased:

• 26 year old pregnant woman Phusanisa Komin
• Phusanisa’s unborn son
• 51 year old male pickup driver Yongyuth Saensri
• 46 year old woman Daorueng Saensri
• 54 year old woman Sunee Pin-ngen

Six injuries:

• 34 year old woman Anusa Saika
• 56 year old woman Saengthong Bualuang
• 46 year old woman Yupin Sittiklong
• 49 year old woman Thippawan Pialao
• 45 year old man Thanyakorn Kawee
• 30 year old man Kittisak Sirikham

The Phrao Hospital ambulance was en route to transfer the pregnant woman to another hospital in the Mueang district of Chiang Mai for childbirth. It is reported that the pickup truck lost control on the rain-slicked road and collided with the ambulance.

The official cause of the accident is currently under investigation. A comprehensive inquiry, including interviews and thorough examination, will be conducted to ascertain the precise cause.