Royal Thai Navy officer dies in Sattahip car accident

A Royal Thai Navy (RTN) officer tragically lost his life after his car veered off the road and collided with a tree in Sattahip, likely due to falling asleep at the wheel. The incident occurred yesterday, September 25, on 331 Road inbound to Sattahip district in Chon Buri province.

Sattahip police, upon receiving the report, quickly coordinated with rescue workers and rushed to the scene. On arrival, they discovered the body of Petty Officer First Class Phoptawan Suwan from the Naval Education Department inside the wrecked vehicle.

He was pronounced dead at the scene due to severe head injuries. Phoptawan was in a military camouflage uniform at the time of the accident.

The red Suzuki sedan he was driving was found overturned on its side, with significant damage to the front end. Skid marks on the road indicated that the car had veered off for over 100 metres before coming to a halt. CCTV footage revealed that the vehicle had been traveling normally in the right lane before it suddenly lost control, veered into the median, and struck a tree.

A witness, Boonkong, described the incident.

“I saw the car speeding before it gradually swerved into the median and hit the tree.”

Boonkong and his son attempted to assist by overturning the car but were unable to do so due to its weight. They then called the police for assistance. He also noted that there had been three to four accidents in the area previously but this incident was the most severe.

Initial suspicions suggest that Phoptawan may have fallen asleep at the wheel. His body was transported to Bang Lamung Hospital for preservation, awaiting his relatives to perform religious rites, reported Pattaya News.

In related news, a Thai woman, suspected of falling asleep at the wheel, crashed her pickup into another vehicle on the Songkhla-Natawee Road in southern Thailand. The tragic incident resulted in her death, along with two others, while two more sustained serious injuries.