Ceiling panels crush driver in fatal Phatthalung truck crash
A trailer truck driver was killed in a horror crash in Phatthalung province, southern Thailand, after his cargo of ceiling panels crushed him to death.
The accident occurred at around 10.30pm yesterday, April 18, along Highway 15 in Ban Pabak, Thung Nari subdistrict, Pa Bon district. The driver, 59 year old Manop, was found dead at the scene, buried under the load he had been transporting.
Police from Pa Bon Police Station and rescue teams rushed to the scene, where they found the overturned trailer truck, registered in Songkhla, lying by the roadside. The vehicle had been carrying a full load of heavy ceiling panels, many of which had spilled across the road in the crash.
Rescuers discovered Manop’s body trapped beneath the wreckage. It reportedly took them over 30 minutes to retrieve his body, using hydraulic tools to lift the collapsed panels and a fallen tree that had added to the chaotic debris. Manop had sustained multiple broken bones, with his skull severely crushed from the weight of the panels.
“The scene was devastating,” said one rescue official. “The panels were so heavy it took considerable effort to lift them. There was nothing we could do to save him.”
A colleague of Manop’s, who had been travelling separately, revealed that they were en route from Bangkok to the Sadao checkpoint in Hat Yai, Songkhla province. Manop had earlier told him that he was too tired to continue driving and needed to stop for a break. The colleague drove ahead and only learned of the fatal crash after being contacted by the police.
Police believe driver fatigue may have played a major role in the accident. However, they have stated that CCTV footage from the area will be reviewed to determine the exact cause of the crash, reported KhaoSod.
Manop’s family has been notified, and his body will be returned to his hometown for religious rites.
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