Police Officer Critically Hurt in Trailer Crash

CHONBURI — A police officer was seriously injured after his sedan collided with an 18-wheel trailer in Bang Lamung district early Friday morning. The crash was reported at around 03:40 on Sukhumvit Road near the Wave Inn U-turn in Thung Krat, Bang Lamung district.

Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya rescue centre responded to a report that a sedan had crashed into the rear of a trailer, with the driver trapped inside. Rescue volunteers equipped with hydraulic cutting tools and a medical team from Pattaya Patamakun Hospital were dispatched to the scene.

They found a white Toyota Altis with its front section severely crushed. A firearm and cash were found outside the vehicle. Inside the wreckage was Pol Lt Col Tharathon Makkanan, a deputy traffic investigation officer at Sriracha Police Station, who was trapped behind the steering wheel and seriously injured.

Rescue workers used hydraulic cutting equipment to free him. He was given initial medical treatment before being transported to hospital. The 18-wheel trailer, bearing Saraburi registration plates for both the tractor unit and trailer, sustained extensive damage including a broken rear axle.

The trailer was stopped in the far-right lane when the crash occurred. Its driver, Team Son-am, 37, remained at the scene. He told police he had been driving toward Laem Chabang Port in the rightmost lane and was preparing to make a U-turn when the sedan suddenly approached at high speed and struck the rear of the trailer, causing it to spin.

Team noted the area was quite dark at the time with almost no lighting. Bang Lamung Police Station inspected the scene and documented the vehicles and surrounding area as evidence. Investigators will review CCTV footage from nearby locations and the crash site to determine the circumstances and cause of the collision.