Durian truck crash in northern Thailand leaves 24 injured, including pregnant woman

In a disastrous incident in Uttaradit province, northern Thailand, a pickup truck carrying durian pickers overturned after the driver, unfamiliar with the hilly terrain route, lost control. The accident left 24 individuals injured, nine of them were seriously hurt. A pregnant woman was also found among the casualties.

The distress call was initially received by the Mayor of Mae Pual Subdistrict, Loei District, Uttaradit, Rien Pintapauw, who was immediately notified about the accident by local durian orchard farmers. The accident, involving the single-body Toyota pickup truck with registration number 3ฒฒ 4733 Bangkok, occurred on the road down the last mountain, a road that links Mae Pual subdistrict, Loei district, Uttaradit, and Ban Tuek subdistrict, Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai, northern Thailand.

The pickup truck’s main purpose of use was fruit transportation, and at the time of the accident, it had a metallic structure installed on it for the same purpose. The vehicle lay overturned and soiled with clay dirt in a state of wreckage, with the front of the truck hanging on a Longkong tree belonging to a farmer.

Multiple injured men and women were found in the vicinity of the crash, some sitting, some laying scattered on the ground, the aftermath of being ejected from the overturned truck. All victims, 24 in total, among which nine were seriously hurt and one was a pregnant woman, were rushed to Uttaradit Hospital, reported KhaoSod.

The crash site, located at the end of a downhill stretch, was rather tortuous and situated in the mountains. The mountainous route chosen by the driver, Thawal Thaweewong from Chanthaburi, was a shortcut through the durian orchards, leading to the Loei district in Uttaradit from Sukhothai. He intended to transport the workers to the Loei district in Uttaradit for picking and packing durian for export to China.

Rien stated that during this period, there’s been an excessive amount of durians getting exported. The path to the durian orchards for the locals of the Loei district is steep and winding. Hence, merchants or workers from other regions must exercise extreme caution, especially during the rainy season. If one lacks experience navigating the terrains, it’s better to avoid them.