Korat Boy, 14, dies after crashing into parked truck in Phuket

PHUKET: A 14-year-old boy from Nakhon Ratchasima died after crashing his motorbike into a large truck parked by the side of the road in Phuket yesterday afternoon.

Chalong Police at 2:15pm received a report of a crash near the Land & Houses residential estate on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.

Arriving at the scene with Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation workers, they found the body of Setthawut Nimnual beneath the back of an 18-wheel Isuzu tractor trailer rig. His wrecked Yamaha motorbike lay next to him.

Witnesses said they saw the driver of the rig park by the side of the road and go to a roadside sala, after which time the motorbike driven by the young Mr Setthawut crashed into the back of it at high speed.

Police said the boy’s mind may have been wandering, causing him not to notice the truck.

Rescue workers at the scene said Mr Setthawat dies of massive head trauma; no crash helmet was found at the scene.

The body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where it was claimed at 9:10am today by parents arriving from Nakhon Ratchasima.

Collisions with trucks parked along roadways are a significant contributor to Phuket’s total annual road toll. A similar accident occurred in Thalang earlier this year.

The victims are typically teenage boys not wearing helmets.

The minimum legal age to operate a motorbike in Thailand is 15.

— Orawin Narabal