Chonburi —
Four minivan passengers passed away immediately and another four reportedly died later at a hospital when their vehicle rear-ended a trailer while traveling from Chonburi to Chanthaburi province for a work permit extension at 5:30 AM on Saturday, April 8th.
Our original article on this tragic accident can be found here.
Four passengers were pronounced dead on impact at the accident site near kilometer marker 82+500 on Highway 7 inbound to Pattaya in the Nong Khang Khok sub-district of Chonburi’s Mueang district. Four others later died at a local hospital and multiple others suffered injuries. There were reportedly as many as nineteen people riding in the same small minivan.
Thai media reported that three of the deceased were female, and one of them was pregnant. The male casualty was the minivan driver, Mr. Pattaradej Kaew-in, 55. All victims were Cambodian and Burmese workers traveling to Chanthaburi province to extend their work permits. The van had been completely full, with some critics on social media asking why so many people were riding in the same van.
The accident occurred when the minivan they were riding in suddenly rear-ended a trailer at dawn. The van’s bumper was badly damaged. The Thai trailer driver, Mr. Sayen Palaphon, 50, who was uninjured, told local media that he was trying to climb up a hill with his heavily loaded vehicle when the minivan rear-ended him. He suspected that the driver might have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Chonburi Police are examining CCTV footage of the road to determine the exact cause of this tragic accident.
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