A pedestrian bridge collapsed after being struck by a dump truck with it’s bed raised full height.
The bridge collapsed onto a truck and a pickup in Samut Prakan’s Bang Bo district this morning, December 18, leaving one person dead and another seriously injured.
The incident occurred at 9.25am on Bang Na–Trat Road at kilometer marker 34, inbound towards Bangkok, in the Bang Phli Noi area. Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports that a section of the overhead bridge had come crashing down onto the road, crushing vehicles beneath and halting traffic in all major lanes.
At the scene, responders found the remains of the pedestrian bridge collapsed across the entire width of the road. The large dump truck had been struck directly, its cab severely damaged, with the driver trapped and critically injured. Rescue workers managed to free the driver, who was pinned inside.
Khaosod reported that a second vehicle, a pickup truck loaded with eggs, was also caught beneath the debris. The driver of the pickup was killed instantly and pronounced dead at the scene.
Eyewitnesses told officials that the dump truck appeared to have been driving normally until, without warning, its dump bed lifted as it approached the bridge. Motorists behind the vehicle reportedly sounded their horns to alert the driver, but he failed to notice in time. The raised bed struck the bridge as the trailer passed underneath, causing the structure to collapse.
Authorities are continuing rescue and recovery operations and are expected to launch an investigation into the cause of the malfunction that led to the dump bed rising unexpectedly.
Source: The Thaiger