KAMPHAENG PHET– A tragic accident in Kamphaeng Phet left people at a roadside gas station in shock. A 17-year-old technical college student was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while riding his motorcycle.
His body became trapped under a pickup truck carrying dried mangoes, dragging along the road for about 300 metres before the vehicle stopped at a gas station. The pickup driver said another witness saw a trailer truck hit the motorcycle first and then left the scene.
Local rescue workers received an emergency call about a fatal accident late at night, around 9 p.m. They found the body of the young man underneath an Isuzu pickup with a closed box, parked at a Bangchak gas station in Ban Pak Dong, Taitrung Subdistrict, Mueang District.
The truck’s chassis sat only about 20 centimetres above the ground. The victim’s body was badly deformed from being dragged.
A friend passing by on a motorcycle recognized the keychain he had given the victim and later identified him as Natthawut Chomamrit (Sand), 17, a student at a local technical college from Tamrong, Mueang Kamphaeng Phet.
Kriangkrai, the pickup driver, said he was heading to Bangkok from Lampang in rainy, dark conditions. He spotted something long and white in the road and tried to brake and swerve, but couldn’t stop in time as his truck was heavy.
He decided to straddle the object with his wheels and pulled into the nearby station. Once parked, the gas station staff shouted that he had dragged a body with him. Only then did he realize what had happened.
Kriangkrai insisted he did not hit the motorcycle directly. He shared that another pickup truck driver travelling ahead told him a trailer truck had hit the motorbike first, and the victim’s body became caught underneath the trailer. That trailer truck then left the scene.
As Kriangkrai drove through, he unknowingly ran over the body and dragged it, thinking it was debris on the road. He and the other pickup driver exchanged contact information, as the latter was in a hurry to deliver goods to a market in Bangkok.
The victim’s relatives later arrived and identified his body. His father, Nakorn Chomamrit, 41, said his son called about 8:45 p.m. to ask for money to buy food. He transferred 100 baht to him, but soon after, he received the devastating news.
When he got to the scene and looked under the truck, he broke down in tears after recognizing his son.
Police at Mueang Kamphaeng Phet are gathering all evidence and searching for the trailer truck believed to have caused the crash. If investigators find evidence of negligence or a hit-and-run, those involved will face legal action as required by law.
