Lt Col Noppadol Tonemanee of the Thalang Police was informed of the accident, in Moo 2, Thepkrasattri, at 2:50am.
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers and an EMS Advance Unit from Thalang Hospital rushed to the scene to find the Phuket-registered, grey, four-door Mitsubishi pickup in a ditch beside the road.
The driver, Paisarn Utouchkul, Councillor for PPAO District 4, in Thalang, was dead in the driver’s seat.
Mr Paisarn, the only person in the vehicle at the time of the accident, had suffered a wound to the left side of his head.
Friends of Mr Paisarn told police that the accident had happened while Mr Paisarn was returning home after he had dropped off friends at their home in Baan Khuan.
They had all attended a funeral together at Wat Khanaen.
Mr Paisarn may have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the accident, police said.
His body was taken to Thalang Hospital for further examination, with a forensic physician from Vachira Phuket Hospital to join the post-mortem examination.
The police report made no mention of any checks for intoxication that may have led to the accident, or whether Mr Paisarn was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.