PHUKET: Patong Police have issued a notice reminding large vehicle drivers that all large vehicles with 10 or more wheels are banned from travelling over Patong Hill during peak traffic hours.
The notice was issued this afternoon (June 20), following the accident on Patong Hill yesterday that saw two men killed after the pickup they were travelling in was crushed by a 10-wheeled truck experiencing alleged brake failure.
Police have yet to announce any details of their investigation into the accident.
Police were first alerted to the accident at 1:25pm. The 10-wheeler, registered in Nakhon Pathom province, was descending Patong Hill when it crossed into the coming lane, police confirmed yesterday.
The lorry slammed into the pickup, a Phuket-registered Isuzu D-Max, heading up the hill.
Patong Police reported that the truck driver was not injured in the collision.
Police later confirmed that the two men inside the pickup truck were killed in the collision, which saw the truck crush the cab of the pickup.
The pickup driver killed was named by police as Prasat Prateep Na Thalang. His passenger was named by police as Kamet Chuayuan.
The truck driver, Piyarat Kaewprasit, 38, was uninjured in the accident, but was taken to Patong Hospital as a precaution.
Kotchakorn Boonrawd, 47, said she was sitting down to eat nearby when she heard two loud bangs.
At first she did not see the pickup truck, which was crushed between the lorry and the outside concrete barrier, and thought it was just another truck accident on the hill, with the driver not seriously injured.
Taking a closer look, she saw the pickup driver Mr Prasat with his head leaning out the window. At that time believed he was still alive and conscious.
“It felt like 15-20 minutes had passed before the emergency staff arrived and offered assistance. If they came earlier, those who died might be able to get help in a timely manner,” she said.
Ms Kotchakorn pointed out that there were many accidents on the road descending into Patong before COVID-19. Since the pandemic restrictions have been lifted there has been more traffic on the hill road, but still not as much as before the pandemic, she said.
“Most of the cars that have been involved in accidents are heavy vehicles, large vehicles such as tour buses, water trucks, or 10-wheelers,” Ms Kotchakorn said.
“At the time of the accident, the number of cars [on the hill road] was still small. If it had happened in the evening when people leave work and children leave school, it could have been much worse,” she said.
In the notice issued by Patong Police today, large vehicle drivers were reminded that large vehicles with 10 or more wheels were not permitted to drive over Patong Hill in either direction between the hours of 6am – 9am and 4pm – 10pm.
The ban includes buses with seats for 30 or more passengers, the notice said.
The ban was brought into effect under the provisions of the Land Transport Act, and was being enforced by officers, the notice added.
The ban was re-ratified by a formal announcement by Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong in December last year, the notice confirmed.
Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub
