Drunk Driver Crashes Into Packed Van, 10 Injured
A drunk driver crashed into a van carrying 10 people near Songkhla Rajabhat University on September 5, injuring most of the van's occupants; the sedan driver tested at 146 milligrams of alcohol per cent and faces drunk driving charges.
Rescue workers from the Swang Songkhla Foundation responded on September 5 to a collision between a sedan and van near Songkhla Rajabhat University on the Songkhla-Nathawi Road in Khaorüpchang District, Muang Songkhla. A white van lay overturned on the roadside median with approximately 10 occupants injured, mostly with head and forehead wounds. Rescuers broke windows to extract victims and transported them to Songkhla Hospital at Koh Yo for treatment. A black Honda City sedan nearby was pinned against a power pole on the median, heavily damaged. The driver showed minor injuries but signs of intoxication.
Police brought the sedan driver to Muang Songkhla Police Station for a breath alcohol test, which showed 146 milligrams per cent. He was detained for questioning and legal proceedings on drunk driving charges.
The van driver said he was returning to Pattani after attending a football match between Pattani and Songkhla teams with family and relatives—about 9 to 10 people total. On a curve, he overtook a pickup truck and moved left when the black sedan overtook him on the left and cut sharply right. The van struck the sedan's side, both vehicles skidded, and collided violently with the median power pole. The van flipped and multiple people were injured. A neighbor who stopped to help found several empty alcohol bottles in the sedan and suggested the van driver photograph them as evidence.
Police are continuing to gather evidence and interview those involved to determine the exact cause and sequence of events. The sedan driver faces drunk driving prosecution.
