2 dead and 11 injured in Udon Thani road crash

PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times

Two people have been killed and 10 injured after their passenger van smashed into a trailer-truck in Udon Thani yesterday (Monday).

The accident happened on Dong Rai-Ban Phue Road in Ban Khao around midday. A 38 year old truck driver, Aniroot Jadpong, from Udon Thani, fled the scene following the incident but later reported to police. He claims he lost control of the vehicle on the slippery road and the van smashed into the truck’s rear wheels.

Nearby was a white passenger van also registered in Udon Thani . The van was used on the Udon Thani-Ban Phue-Nam Som route. It had heavy damage on the front and was missing a door.

A witness says that the driver appears to have lost control in the rain and it slid into the opposite lane. The van was heading in the opposite direction and collided with it.

55 year old Rungthiwa Baokham was killed instantly. She was sitting in the front passenger seat of the van. The van’s driver and 11 passengers were injured and sent to Udon Thani Hospital. A 40 year old woman died in hospital from her injuries in the accident.

Local police have speculated that since the road was frequently used by trucks transporting raw rubber, latex could have dripped onto the road, making it slippery. They said another possibility was the lorry driver might have dozed off. The truck driver has been charged with reckless driving causing death.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times