Three power poles down after pickup veers off road in Pattaya
A late-night pickup crash in Pattaya on January 11 toppled three high-voltage power poles across Soi Paniad Chang, leaving live wires on the road and forcing police to shut down the area.
The incident occurred at 10.36pm on Soi Paniad Chang in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri. Police and rescue teams were called to the scene after receiving reports that a vehicle had collided with a power pole.
Upon arrival, authorities discovered that three high-voltage electricity poles had collapsed across the road. Live power lines and communication cables were left dangling dangerously, and a directional sign had also been damaged.
Emergency responders from the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation and the Pattaya Electricity Authority immediately cordoned off the area due to the risk of electric shock.
Beneath the wreckage lay a bronze Toyota pickup truck. Its driver, a 57 year old Thai man, appeared disoriented and was seen walking around the crash site despite warnings by onlookers to keep away from the wires.
Rescue workers confirmed that he was not visibly injured.
According to the driver, he had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle, lost control, and struck the pole. A witness at the scene, a 21 year old delivery rider, told police he saw the pickup returning at high speed before it lost control at a curve and crashed, causing the poles to topple.
The driver was taken in for a breathalyser test, and investigators are reviewing nearby CCTV footage to determine the cause of the crash, reported The Pattaya News.
Traffic on the road remained blocked late into the night as officials worked to clear debris and restore safety. No other injuries were reported.
Similarly, back in December, a Lamborghini crashed into a roadside power pole near the Bang Rak Noi Tha It MRT station in Nonthaburi, severely damaging its front end and knocking down a power pole.
