– A white Isuzu D-Max crossed the centre island at a U-turn in the Ban Soed subdistrict in Phanat Nikhom, and hit an oncoming staff-shuttle pickup on the 10th of October.
– Dead were the 41-year-old driver, Nattawut, and his 25-year-old niece, Nanthikan, who was in the rear seat. Injured were the 30-year-old shuttle driver, Nattarin, and a 34-year-old woman in the front passenger seat of the other pickup.
– A witness said two pickups had been travelling fast, as if racing, before one lost control. Colleagues said Nattawut was heading home to Surin for a factory long weekend to see his young child.
Phanat Nikhom: Two people died and two were injured on Saturday when a pickup driver crossed the median and hit an oncoming vehicle at a U-turn in the Ban Soed subdistrict in Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi.
Pol. Lt. Col. Kittiwej Ngasuwan of Phanat Nikhom Police Station and rescuers from the Ban Thung Hiang unit were called to the scene. They found a white Isuzu D-Max used as a staff shuttle with heavy front-end damage. Its driver, Nattarin, 30, was hurt. Beside it was a white four-door Isuzu D-Max, also smashed on the driver’s side. Inside that vehicle, Nattawut, 41, the driver, was dead. Natthida, 34, in the front passenger seat, was injured. Nanthikan, 25, in the rear seat, was also dead. She was Nattawut’s niece.
A witness, Peerapat Chuayphet, told reporters he had been driving from Phanat Nikhom with the staff shuttle ahead of him when two pickups came up behind at speed, travelling in a way that looked like racing. At the crash point one of them lost control, crossed the centre island and struck the vehicle coming the other way. Rescuers said both injured people were still in the wreckage and needed cutting gear before they could be taken to Phanat Nikhom Hospital. Doctors confirmed the other two were dead at the scene.
Colleagues who arrived later said Nattawut had been about to drive home to Surin. The factory was on a long break, and he was leaving after work to see his young child. Sadly, he did not get there.
Police are reviewing CCTV from nearby cameras to fix the cause and will proceed under the law once that is clear. No charge sheet has been released.
The crash is separate from the fatal motorcycle collision on Highway 36 the night before, in which a 33-year-old rider died after hitting the rear of an 18-wheel truck.