Four die in weekend horror smashes

PA KHLOK: Four people were killed on Sunday night in two separate road accidents involving motorcycles. One of the victims was a five-year-old child.

At about 7 pm on Sunday, two women and a boy – members of the same family – were killed after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a pickup truck on the Baan Para – Baan Muang Mai Rd in Pa Khlok, on the route to the Mission Hills Golf Course, said Thalang Police Officer Pol Maj Seksan Konsakorn.

The driver of the pickup told police that he was driving his vehicle at about 80kmh when he saw the motorbike being driven at speed along the sidewalk. As the pickup approached, the motorbike veered into the side of the truck, causing the collision and knocking the three family members to the ground, he added.

The bodies of the three victims, all pronounced dead at the scene by Kusoldharm Foundation volunteers, were taken to Thalang Hospital for autopsy.

“The left side of the pickup suffered damage consistent with the information the driver gave us and the vehicle came to rest in the correct lane, which suggests the vehicle was being driven appropriately,” the policeman added.

Maj Seksan identified one of the women as 43-year-old Vassana Puengpak, a native of Srisaket province. The other woman and the child remained unidentified, although police said the child was about five years old.

“I will contact their relatives in Srisaket so funeral arrangements can be made,” he said.

On the same night, one man was killed in a horrific collision between a Mercedes-Benz and a motorcycle on Thepkrasattri Rd.

Pol Maj Prakorb Boonkwan of the Thalang Police said that at about 9 pm Pradit Mulikabutra was attempting to traverse Thepkrasattri Rd on his saleng (motorcycle with illegal sidecar) to reach the opposite lane.

Riding against the flow of traffic near Baan Nai Klum Mosque, Khun Pradit was killed instantly when the Mercedes-Benz smashed into his motorcycle at high speed, the policeman said. K. Pradit’s left leg was crushed and his right leg ripped clean off, he added.

The car driver, Sittha Ngan-Sathit, 36, told police that he had been driving at about 90kmh when the saleng suddenly maneuvered straight into his path, making the head-on collision unavoidable.

“We cannot make presumptions about who is in the wrong in this case. The motorcycle driver drove in the wrong lane to reach the other side, and the Benz driver was going very fast,” said Maj Prakorb.

However, police have yet to file any charges against Khun Sittha, as is usually standard in all road accidents resulting in death.