Tanker driver was dozing, say police
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From evidence gathered at the Pattanakarn Road crash site, police believe the driver of an LPG tanker truck was dozing behind the wheel when his vehicle slammed into a bridge railing in Klong Tan district and exploded last week.
“Today our officers collected evidence from the burnt out vehicle and at the crash site. We have found no traces of braking on the road, leading us to assume the driver was dozing at the wheel,” Pol Lt General Peerapong Damapong, commissioner of the Office of Forensic Science said yesterday.
The driver, Anan Kaewma, fled the scene after the accident. Police urged him to surrender or face an arrest warrant.
The truck, carrying 4,000 litres of LPG, slammed into the bridge railing in front of Pattanakarn Soi 20 on Friday at about 5.30am and exploded. The blast seriously burnt a man and wounded two others.
Police sealed off traffic and allowed the fire to burn off the LPG as they could not close the valve. Traffic resumed around 1pm.
Pol Lt Col Krissada Kansoda of Klongtan said police had planned to talk to accident victim, Buapan Suwannasaen, today but doctors at Phetcharavej Hospital had refused permission as he is still in a sterile room. Doctors believe he will be well enough to talk to police in a few days.
Krissada added that if the driver fails to show up within a few days, the police will seek court approval to issue an arrest warrant against him.
