UPDATE: The driver of the pickup truck, Nitthaya Keawkwan, 24, was not tested for alcohol and not chrged for drunk driving. She was charged with reckless driving causing damage to property and other persons. (See story here.)
Capt Akkara Sivilai of the Tha Chatchai Police notified of the accident, on Thepkrasattri Rd in Moo 2 Mai Khao, at the northern end of the island, at 2:50am.
Capt Akkara and other police officers arrived at the scene to find a white D-Max Isuzu pickup truck registered in Amnat Charoen province in long grass beside the road with heavy damage to its front end.
A female passenger travelling in the pickup truck was taken to Thalang Hospital by rescue workers, noted police. The extent of the woman’s injuries was not reported.
The driver of the pickup truck, Nitthaya Keawkwan, 24, remained at the scene. Her injuries, if any, also were not reported.
Nearby was a tour bus with damage to its front end. The bus had swerved and had stopped just before running off the road.
The bus driver, Wirot Thammachat, 66, told told police that he was driving northbound when the pickup truck, travelling in the opposite direction, crashed into a traffic barrier then crossed the median strip and struck the bus head-on.
There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the accident.
Police noted that Ms Nitthaya was believed to be drunk and was taken to be tested for alcohol at Tha Chatchai Police Station.
The results of her alcohol test have yet to be revealed, though police said that they were continuing their investigation.