Police were called to the accident scene just after 7:45am, explained Lt Viroj Pornprapaprit of the Phuket City Police. After being informed of the accident Phuket Town Police Chief Col Theerawat Liamsuwan was also soon at the scene.
Officers arrived along with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers and a medical team from Bangkok Hospital Siriroj to find the van, registered as part of the Phuket Namfa Transport Co Ltd fleet, with heavy damage to its front.
The driver, 23-year-old Chatchai Thongchai, from Surat Thani, was pinned inside the cab. Still conscious, he was removed from the wreck by rescue workers and taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.
Mr Chatchai had picked up five Chinese tourists at Phuket International Airport and was taking them to a hotel in Patong when the accident happened, Col Theerawat explained.
“Along the way, he fell asleep at the wheel,” he said.
The van wiped out a streetlamp by the side of the road before slamming into a large sign for the White House restaurant, located on the bypass road.
“Of the five Chinese tourists in the van, three suffered only minor injuries,” Col Theerawat confirmed.
The three injured tourists – named by police as Ms Yue Hu, Ms Gao Linjun and Mr Hu Xiao – were taken to Bangkok Hospital Siriroj for treatement, he said.
Police have yet to determine whether Mr Chatchai will face charges for the accident, Col Theerawat confirmed.
However, police did note in their report that the passenger van was legally registered as commercial passenger vehicle and bearing the required yellow licence plates.
Mr Chatchai also held a current, valid commercial driver’s licence, the report noted.