Thirteen workers were killed and 15 injured when a lorry they were travelling in overturned on a steep mountain road in Wang Saphung district early yesterday.
The accident occurred about 1.30am on kilometre marker No.23 on Sai Na Sam Saeng-Samtom Road at Ban Mak Khaeng, tambon Nong Ngiew.
The 10-wheel lorry overturned at a sharp bend on the slope known to be an accident “black spot”.
Nine people died at the scene. Rescue workers took 19 injured people to Wang Saphung and Loei hospitals.
One person died at Wang Saphung Hospital and three were pronounced dead at Loei Hospital.
Lert Mankhong, the driver of the lorry, told police that he had been taking 26 sugarcane cutters from Sukhothai’s Si Satchanalai district to Nakhon Phanom.
He said the vehicle’s brakes failed as he attempted to negotiate the steep mountain road, adding that he had to swerve to avoid dropping down into a ravine. His swerving caused the lorry to overturn and crash into a wall.
The workers on the back of the truck were thrown off, he said.
Caretaker Deputy Transport Minister Prin Suvanadat said yesterday that the road falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Rural Roads.
He said the spot where the lorry crashed is widely known as ‘’the bend of 100 bodies’’, because so many people have been killed in road accidents there.
Gen Prin said police believe the accident occurred because the driver was not used to the route and was travelling the steep slope at night, putting the vehicle at increased risk of accident.
Land Transport Department director-general Asdsathai Rattanadilok na Phuket said checks had found that the vehicle involved in the accident was registered as a private lorry, so was being used illegally.
The lorry’s owner could face a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both, Mr Asdsathai said. The lorry was registered on Dec 3, 1990 and last checked on Sept 11, 2013.
Somchai Prakobkaew, provincial branch chief for the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, said the families of the dead will each receive 200,000 baht in compensation while the injured will receive 5,000 baht for medical expenses.
Tuesday 08 April 2014
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/403905/13-dead-in-black-spot-lorry-tragedy
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