22-wheeled truck mayhem: Woman’s lucky escape in Phuket smash
An early morning encounter between a car and a 22-wheeled truck resulted in a shocking crash in the Samkong Underpass, in Phuket today. Miraculously, the car’s driver, a woman, managed to avoid grave injuries despite her vehicle being severely crushed in the accident.
Phuket City Police, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Udom Phetcharat, received the distress call at 4.15am. On their arrival, they found a crimson Mazda CX3, registered in Phuket, crumpled at the underpass’s southbound entrance.
A short distance away, a Phetchaburi-registered 22-wheeled truck and trailer stood stationary in the right lane, showing signs of a violent collision.
The 22-wheeled truck bore damage on its right front bumper, while the right front and rear wheels had flat tyres. According to police, both the truck and the car entered the tunnel via the bypass road. The 22-wheeled truck was in the left lane and the car was in the right.
What transpired next was a heart-stopping sequence of events. The woman lost control of her car, causing it to slam into the 22-wheeled truck. The car then spun out of control, hitting a barrier and sliding under the trailer. The rear wheels of the truck further crushed the now-damaged car.
Despite the magnitude of the accident, the female driver of the car managed to elude severe injuries and was taken to the hospital by her relatives before the arrival of the police, reported Phuket News.
The 22-wheeled truck’s driver, 39 year old Phonchai Menkaew, gave his account of the incident to the police.
According to him, he was transporting vegetable oil from Bang Sawan in Surat Thani Province to a depot at Ao Makham. He noticed that the car’s driver seemed to have dozed off and was unable to maintain control. He tried to brake to avert the accident but was unsuccessful.
Before the morning traffic could build up and create a bottleneck, the wreckage of the 22-wheeled truck and car were cleared from the underpass. The police, continuing with their investigation, are set to conduct alcohol tests on both drivers.
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