Officers were called to the scene, at the entrance of Phuket Thani Village on Thepkrasattri Rd southbound, some 500 metres north of the Heroines Monument, at 00:10am
Arriving in force with police officers were rescue workers from Srisoonthorn municipality, rescue workers from the Maung Mai branch of the Kusoldharm Foundation and an ambulance from Thalang Hospital.
At the scene the contingent of police and rescue workers and onlookers all found the body of Detphon Jitsanoh, 40, face down on the road with fatal head trauma.
His damaged black Honda motorbike was nearby, lying beside the damaged power pole.
Also lying nearby was Mr Detphon’s helmet, split into two parts.
Mr Detphon, a resident of Ratsada, was a Civil Defense Volunteer at Phuket City Municipality. It was his Civil Defense Volunteer helmet that was found broken.
At this stage police believe Mr Detphon likely fell asleep while riding his motorbike, said Thalang Police Chief Investigator Lt Col Pattwat Yodkwan.
Police will check CCTV in the area as they continue their investigation. Mr Detphon’s body was taken to Thalang Hospital for post-mortem examination, he added.
Mr Detphon’s death is the second in four days that police have attributed to riders falling asleep while riding a motorbike.
Nitikorn Jansakul, 21, died after his motorbike hit the curb on Thepkrasattri Rd some 500m north of Isuzi dealership in Koh Kaew early Saturday morning (Aug 20).
In both reports, police made no mention of investigating whether alcohol or any other substance was a factor in the fatal accidents.
So far 59 people have died and a further 10,542 people have been injured on Phuket roads since Jan 1, according to the national Thailand Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC).
The current rate of deaths and injuries in Phuket road accidents is on track to exceed last year’s tally of 71 people killed and 13,134 people injured by year’s end.