Fatal crash on Chon Buri motorway claims Chinese, Malaysian lives

A Malaysian man and two Chinese nationals died while one Chinese woman was injured in a car accident on the Chon Buri motorway.

Highway Police officers and Dhamma Rassamee Foundation rescuers rushed to a rest area on the motorway at about 10am yesterday, March 3. Officers came across a white BMW 5 Series sedan that had collided with a large rest area sign, causing significant damage to its front.

Officers discovered four people trapped inside the car. The driver, later identified as a 32 year old Malaysian man named Lee Chin Keong, was discovered dead in the driver’s seat. He had sustained a serious head injury and a broken neck.

A Chinese woman, 35 year old Xigoyu Ji, was found hugging her two month old son Yic Heng Ma in the back seat. The baby died at the scene while Xigoyu suffered serious injuries and died later in hospital.

A five year old Chinese girl named Yu Qing Ma was found outside the car with an injury to her leg. She was taken to hospital and was the only one to survive the accident. The girl was reported to be in a stable condition.

The 33 year old Thai woman, Nattaporn, explained to Channel 8 that she was an employee of the Chinese woman Xigoyu. The two month old boy and five year old girl were Xigoyu’s children, and the Malaysian man Lee was her chauffeur. Nattaporn added that Xigoyu’s husband left China for Thailand after hearing about the accident.

Nattaporn revealed that her Chinese employers lived and ran a shipping business in Thailand. Their company was based in Chon Buri. On the day of the incident, Xigoyu took her son to the hospital for a vaccination and the incident occurred on their way home.

Several media outlets reported that a witness saw a pickup driving against the flow of traffic and that the BMW sedan avoided the collision, causing the car to hit the sign. Locals in the area said that motorists often drive against the flow of traffic at the rest area, causing three to four accidents at the site last year.

However, Khao Din Police Station officers checked the CCTV camera at the scene but could not find the pickup truck. Police suspected the Malaysian driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.