Police report that 18 Myanmar workers were injured when they were thrown from the back of a Toyota Vigo pickup truck in Chiang Saen District of Chiang Rai Province. The accident occurred on Highway 1290 in Chiang Saen District.
Pol. Lt. Surakit Wongyai, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) at Ban Saeo Police Station, told reporters he was notified of an accident. A pickup truck had lost control and hit the median strip, resulting in multiple injuries.
Police officers were dispatched to the scene of the accident along with doctors from Chiang Saen Hospital, the Siam Ruam Jai (Pu In) Rescue Unit, and the Wiang Pha Ngao Chiang Saen Rescue Unit.
Upon arriving, they found a gray Toyota Vigo pickup truck with Chiang Rai license plates that had lost control and was parked in the right lane. The front of the truck was on the median strip, showing visible damage from the collision.
Pol. Lt. Surakit Wongyai said 18 people were injured, including the driver, identified as Mr. Min So, 50, from Wiang Subdistrict, Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province.
From the initial questioning, Mr. Min So stated he had driven the vehicle loaded with workers from Ban Saeo Subdistrict and was heading to his residence in Chiang Saen District.
As he approached a winding curve, he encountered a motorcycle driving the wrong way in the left lane. He was shocked and turned right to avoid the motorcycle, causing his vehicle to lose control and hit the median strip.
He said the passengers in the back were thrown from the pickup with some severely injured. The passenger in the front of the truck was also injured, but no deaths were reported.
The police officers photographed the scene and contacted a private towing vehicle to take the truck to Ban Saeo Police Station for further investigation. Mr. Min So and the injured Myanmar migrant workers were taken to Chiang Saen Hospital for treatment.
Wrong-way driving (Ghost Riders) in Thailand has been common over the last five years. A total of 498 wrong-way driver crashes have been recorded, with 80% involving motorcycles. Accidents occur when a driver travels in a direction opposite to the traffic flow, either intentionally or unintentionally.
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