CHONBURI: At least eleven people were injured, some seriously, after a six-wheel truck carrying factory workers overturned early Tuesday on Highway 36 heading toward Pattaya, Thai media reported.
The crash happened around 6:30–6:40 a.m. on September 22nd near kilometer marker 3+600 in Moo 3, in the Nong Pla Lai subdistrict of Banglamung district, on the Krating Lai–Rayong route inbound to Pattaya, in the Ban Noen Kamnan area.
A white Isuzu six-wheel worker transport truck registered in Maha Sarakham was found overturned on the left roadside shoulder with its wheels pointing skyward and heavy damage. Injured passengers were scattered around the wreckage. Rescue teams from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation in Pattaya, police from Banglamung Police Station, and medical staff from several hospitals responded.
11 people were initially reported injured, nine men and two women, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. They were taken to Pattaya Patamakun Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and Pattaya City Hospital. Conflicting reports later stated 14 people injured (12 men and two women), including one in serious condition, and said 15 workers had been on board. All were described as employees of an oil refinery in the Laem Chabang area.
The driver, 56-year-old Chaiya, who suffered only minor injuries, told police he was transporting workers from Rayong to a company in Si Racha. He said he was driving in the middle lane at about 70 km/h when the road became slippery. The truck began to lose control toward the right lane, where a pickup truck was traveling. He steered left to avoid a collision, after which the vehicle left the road and overturned.
A passenger told local reporters that the truck suddenly swayed violently from side to side before leaving the roadway and rolling several times. Nearby CCTV footage showed light rain around the time of the crash and the truck braking abruptly before losing stability, according to the same report. Police are investigating the cause.
Highway 36 between Rayong and Pattaya is a busy industrial corridor serving factories and refineries in the Eastern Economic Corridor. Wet-road conditions and worker-transport vehicles are frequent factors in accidents along the route.