Terror in the Night: 18-Tonne Lorry Overturns Near Pattaya
A terrifying road disaster unfolded in the early hours on Thailand’s notorious Highway 331 near Pattaya. A massive 18-tonne truck, loaded with heavy rubber blocks, swerved out of control before ploughing through the median barrier and flipping onto its side. Trapped inside the chaos, the lorry’s 25-year-old female passenger tragically lost her life at the scene, while several others sustained injuries in the carnage.
Race Against Time: Frantic Rescue in the Blackness
The nightmare began at 1:06am on September 26, 2025, when Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan emergency crews dashed from Pattaya to the highway stretch in Khao Mai Kaew, between Sattahip and Khao Hin Son. What they faced was nothing short of horrific—a huge articulated truck from Nakhon Si Thammarat had toppled onto its side, its rubber cargo cascading out and crushing the front cab.
Inside the destroyed vehicle, rescue workers made a grim discovery. The lifeless body of Kanyarat Othongkham, just 25, was found crushed and declared dead at the scene. The driver, a man aged between 30 and 50, was trapped with his head pinned under heavy rubber blocks. Miraculously, rescue workers managed to free him alive, though he was badly injured.
Chain Collision Sends Vehicles Spinning
But the catastrophe didn’t end with the lorry. The overturned truck set off a nightmarish chain-reaction—four vehicles were caught up in the chaos. Navy Lieutenant Prasarn Saokaew, aged 49, was behind the wheel of a bronze Isuzu D-Max pickup when he smashed into the lorry wreckage. His vehicle flipped over, but in a stroke of luck, both he and his son escaped with only minor injuries.
Two more vehicles became entangled in the disaster—a bronze employees’ van from Ploy Phraethong Transport Co., Ltd, driven by 66-year-old Chatchai Aranyik, and a white Toyota Alphard. All occupants were left shaken and suffered minor wounds but survived.
First-Hand Accounts: Survivors Relive the Chaos
Driver Chatchai Aranyik described the nightmare moment: ‘I saw the lorry’s indicator, as if he was about to turn, but then he suddenly swerved across the line.’ The dense darkness on the stretch made it nearly impossible to judge the situation, he said.
Lt Prasarn Saokaew echoed the terror: ‘It was so dark, I only spotted the overturned lorry at the last second. There was no time to brake.’ His pickup crashed into flying debris before rolling over and coming to rest.
Blackout Highway Blamed: Darkness Fuels Tragedy
Police from the Huay Yai station are now urgently investigating what led to the lorry’s loss of control. Early evidence reveals that the pitch-black conditions on this stretch of Highway 331 played a critical role in the multi-vehicle smash.
Local residents and traffic safety experts have long warned about deadly darkness and have repeatedly called for better street lighting on this high-risk road. This latest tragedy has reignited furious debate, revealing just how urgent these safety improvements are.
Lingering Questions as Community Demands Answers
As loved ones lay 25-year-old Kanyarat to rest and injured survivors slowly recover, haunting questions persist. Why exactly did the lorry careen out of control? Was it a technical failure, driver fatigue, or human error at the heart of the crash?
Authorities assure the public that a thorough investigation is underway. What’s certain is that this devastating highway disaster will reopen urgent calls for drastic improvements to road safety in Thailand. The hope is that meaningful change will finally follow such a loss.