Ice truck overturns, traffic frozen after near miss in Phatthalung

A six-wheel truck transporting ice overturned and blocked a road in Phatthalung, causing significant traffic disruption this morning after avoiding a collision with a car that fled the scene. The incident resulted in minor injuries to the truck’s occupants and a traffic jam stretching several kilometres.

At 7.30am, today, July 19, officers from Srinakarin Police Station received reports of a six-wheel truck overturning and obstructing the road on the Phatthalung-Trang route in Ban Na subdistrict, Srinakarin district, Phatthalung province. The police, along with rescue workers from the Phatthalung Srinakarin unit, rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival, a six-wheel truck was found lying on its side in the middle of the road. The truck, which was transporting ice, was driven by 30 year old Saran, who was accompanied by a friend. Both individuals sustained minor injuries.

Saran explained that he was transporting 500 sacks of ice from a factory in Phatthalung to a customer in Trang. Upon reaching a construction zone, a car suddenly swerved into his lane.

“I swerved to avoid the car, which caused my truck to lose control and flip over. Luckily, my friend and I only suffered minor injuries. The car that caused the incident fled the scene.”

Good Samaritans passing by climbed up the truck to assist and rescue the trapped individuals.

The accident caused severe traffic congestion, with vehicles heading towards the Pab Phu mountain pass in Trang experiencing long delays. The overturned truck blocked the road for over half an hour before traffic resumed normal flow.

Rescue efforts involved using a crane and another truck to transfer the ice and clear the wreckage, reported KhaoSod.

The police have launched an investigation to identify the car involved in the incident, which fled the scene immediately after the collision. They are urging any witnesses or those with information about the car to come forward and assist with the investigation.