Three British tourists seriously injured in horror motorway crash before flight home from Thailand
Three British tourists were injured in a horrific motorway crash before their flight home from Thailand.
The group had just finished their golf trip when they were driven to Suvarnabhumi International Airport to catch their flight from Bangkok to London on Wednesday morning.
Their van had been travelling in the far-right lane along Kanchanaphisek Road when traffic ahead suddenly began slowing down.
But Thai driver Mol, 50, was unable to apply the brakes on time. He crashed into a pickup truck ahead, triggering a five-vehicle pile-up as cars spun out of control on the busy motorway.
The van's windscreen shattered on impact as the British passengers were thrown from their seats.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene following the horror crash at around 9:15 am local time.
They found metal debris and glass strewn across the pavement, where three vans, a sedan and a pickup truck were severely damaged near the central divider.
Eight people were found injured in the carnage, including British tourists Robert David Townley-Berry, 57, from Swindon, and David Selwyn Blackburn, 68, from Iserlohn, and Colin Gordon Brooks, 68, from London.
Two of them suffered head injuries, while another had wounds to his chin.
Footage shows paramedics treating the Brits, whose clothes were stained in blood, before taking them to Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi for emergency treatment.
Sasitorn Yeeleb of the Samut Prakan Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports said the tourists were expected to be discharged later this week. However, they missed their flight home.
Speaking to Asia Pacific Press today, he said: 'The hospital has confirmed that their injuries were not life-threatening.
'The main issue at the moment is the medical expenses and insurance claim. The hospital is waiting for the police daily report confirming that the van involved in the collision was at fault before the insurance company can process the reimbursement.
'The hospital estimated the medical costs for the three tourists at around 40,000 to 50,000 baht per person. This is within their insurance coverage of up to 80,000 baht, but the reimbursement process cannot proceed until the police report is completed.
‘Police are currently working to establish responsibility for the crash. The tourists should be able to return home shortly, with the remaining issue being the insurance and medical expenses.'
Police Sub-Lieutenant Ittiphong Maneerat of the Mueang Samut Prakan Police Station said the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
He said: ‘At this stage, we still do not know exactly how the collision involving the five vehicles happened.
‘We initially received a report of a crash at around 9 am, but no victims or vehicle owners came to the station to provide further information or ask us to inspect the scene.
‘We have not yet checked the CCTV footage, and we do not know whether there are cameras covering the area where the collision happened because it was on the expressway.
‘The insurance companies for the vehicles involved have come forward and provided some initial information.
‘They will coordinate to establish the facts of the accident and determine which vehicle was responsible for causing the collision.'
Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.
However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.
