Sweeper car, van collision kills two

A commuter van ploughed into a street sweeper vehicle on the tollway heading to the Din Daeng exit yesterday, killing the van driver and a passenger and injuring three others.

The accident occurred around midday about one kilometre from the Din Daeng exit, causing major traffic jams.

The van driver, Niphon Srijan-in, 31, and passenger, Jureerat Jongjitklang, 33, were thrown out the van and killed on the spot, according to police. Three other van passengers were injured and rushed to Rajvithi and Paolo Saphankwai hospitals.

Pol Lt Col Chaiwat Inthes, chief inspector at Vibhavadi police station, said other car drivers interviewed by police saw the van driving at high speed in the middle lane of the tollway.

He said a pickup truck in front of the van had overtaken a vehicle and narrowly avoided crashing into the sweeper, which was moving slowly in the outer lane. However, the van had followed close behind the pickup truck during the overtaking manoeuvre and rammed into the sweeper.

The driver’s door and the sliding door of the van were thrown open by the force of the crash, sending Niphon and Jureerat flying to their deaths.

Pol Lt Col Chairat said the driver of the sweeper vehicle will be questioned and footage from surveillance cameras on the tollway is being reviewed.

Police were trying to find out if signs or traffic cones had been placed on the road to warn oncoming vehicles about the presence of sweeper vehicle. The accident immediately forced the inbound lanes of the tollway to close for about 40 minutes and traffic was redirected through the Lat Phrao exit.

Niphon’s wife, whose name was not given, said her husband, who was the family breadwinner, had been driving the commuter van, operating on the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA)’s concession, from the Nava Nakhon industrial estate in Pathum Thani to the Victory Monument for six years.

BMTA officials examined the scene of the accident. They said financial compensation for families of the crash victims will be disbursed from a third-party vehicle insurance fund.

A mangled commuter van is towed to a police station after it crashed into a street sweeper vehicle on a tollway, killing the van driver and a female passenger yesterday.

ABOVE LEFT PHOTOS BY CHANAT KATANYU A woman weeps as she hugs the body of her son, Niphon Srijan-in, 31, the driver who was killed in the van accident. She was consoled by Niphon’s wife and son.