Ratthakan Komolrat, 40, died at Chao Phraya Hospital after a royal motorcade policeman managed to pull him out of his car before it caught fire.
The lecturer's car hit the rear of a pickup truck on the Boromracha Chonnanee Road on Wednesday morning.
Ratthakan was sent to Siriraj Hospital on Thursday for an autopsy before relatives reclaimed his body for a funeral service at the Bangkok Christian Hospital at 5pm. The body will be sent to Chiang Mai on Saturday morning.
Pol Lt Col Natthanan Muang-ngam said the pickup driver suffered head injuries and received 10 stitches.
The pickup driver said he was driving on the right lane when the rear of his truck was hit.
Natthanan said police have not brought any charge as they have yet to locate footage from security cameras in the area. Evidence at the scene indicated that the lecturer's car did not brake or slow down before it hit the pickup.