No traces of alcohol were found in the body of the 64-year-old van driver who was involved in the car crash that killed 25 people on Chonburi Road on Monday, Royal Thai Police Hospital announced this afternoon.
Dr. Pornchai Sutheerakul, head of the hospital’s Institute of Forensic Science, confirmed today that driver Sumon Eiamsombat did not drink or use narcotics before he lost control of the vehicle, Post Today reported.
On Jan. 2, Sumon was driving a commuter van from Chantaburi to Bangkok. The van swerved out of its lane and collided head-on with a pickup truck on the opposite lane on a highway in Chonburi’s Ban Bueng district. The vehicles then caught fire.
Fourteen out of 15 people onboard died, including the driver. The tragic crash also killed 11 of the 12 people in the pickup truck, some of whom were sitting in the truck’s bed.
Dr. Pornchai said the hospital has handed over 11 bodies of the victims to their families. Eight more bodies will be transferred today.
Deputy Spokesman of Royal Thai Police Piyapan Pingmueng said the investigators will charge those who were found responsible for the accident and that the families of the victims could claim compensation from the operators.
It was likely that Sumon dozed off behind the wheel as he had made five round trips within 31 hours to keep up with the demand of commuters during the holidays, Bangkok Post reported.
Reader Interactions