Man Steals Truck, Triggers Three-Vehicle Crash Across Provinces
An impaired man stole a running truck from a roadside rest stop in Surat Thani and drove 40 kilometers before losing control and triggering a violent three-vehicle crash on Asia Highway 41 in Chumphon on July 30, injuring all three drivers.
A shocking collision erupted on a major highway when a man in an impaired state climbed into a wooden pallet truck that had been left running at the roadside. He sped away across more than 40 kilometers before losing control and crashing violently into two other trucks. The cab of the stolen vehicle was torn from its chassis and hurled into a roadside ditch; debris scattered across the road. Emergency responders rushed all three drivers to hospital with crush injuries.
The incident occurred at 1:50 p.m. on July 30, 2025, along Asia Highway 41 northbound near kilometer marker 92/600 in Suan Taeng subdistrict, La-Ngu district, Chumphon province. Investigators from La-Ngu Police Station found a chaotic scene with three trucks destroyed and parts blocking traffic.
The first vehicle, a white Hino palm oil truck registered in Surat Thani, was hit so hard that the cab separated from the chassis and flew into a drainage ditch. The second, a white Hino car-carrier truck with Bangkok registration, flipped upside down in the ditch; its trailer broke free and sank into the water. The third, a white Isuzu wooden pallet truck registered in Nakhon Sawan, was the one stolen; its cab lodged in the left ditch.
The three injured drivers—32-year-old Kiattisak, 55-year-old Bunchuan, and 27-year-old Nattanon—were rushed to La-Ngu Hospital with broken ribs and trauma from the impacts.
Police determined that the pallet truck had been parked for a meal break in Tha Chon district, Surat Thani, with the keys left in the ignition by its driver. The suspect, Nattanon, who was in an altered mental state, spotted the opportunity, started the engine, and fled northward at speed. After driving over 40 kilometers into La-Ngu district, Chumphon, he lost control and collided head-on with the two trucks. The impact was severe enough to tear apart the vehicles and scatter wreckage across the highway.
Investigators documented the scene, sketched a collision diagram, and impounded all three vehicles at La-Ngu Police Station. A preliminary urine test for drugs came back negative, but police have ordered a detailed blood alcohol test. Charges are pending once the suspect recovers from his injuries.
