Yesterday in Bangkok, Thailand, a massive slab of concrete fell from the under-construction freeway elevated over Rama II Road, crushing a construction worker to death, wounding another, and damaging eight cars.A concrete beam that fell and killed someone on the outgoing Rama II Road in front of the Snake Shrine in the Samae Dan subdistrict of Bang Khun district was reported to Tha Kham Police Station personnel around 5 o’clock.A concrete beam measuring 3 meters wide by 10 meters long and weighing several tons was discovered by police lying in the middle of the busy road.
Worawut Pannon, a 54-year-old construction worker from Nong Bua Lamphu province, was killed when the beam crushed him.Eight vehicles were damaged, four on the inbound and four on the outbound roads. Sumeth Kirimek, a 40-year-old man, claimed that while returning from Hua Hin, he abruptly swerved to escape being struck by the tumbling slab. His car roof was crumpled, his tire ruptured, and his windshield was broken.
He was upset because it took close to two hours for any officials to show up.
Surachet Laopoolsuk, the governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT), claimed…
“At 4:17 p.m., I was informed of an accident involving the steel supporting the structure in front of the Index Living Mall on the Rama II Road, which caused the beam to fall to the ground, killing one worker and wounding another. The project team is organizing damages right now. Contractors are solely accountable.
“The incident took place in the second contracted area of the elevated expressway project, which is a CTB Joint Venture made up of the construction companies China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., Tipakorn Company Ltd., and Buriram Thongchai Construction Company, on the route Central Rama 2 – Bangpakok 9 Hospital – Rama 3 – Dao Khanong Outer Ring Road Expressway.EXAT must apologize for this occurrence and offer condolences to the family of the deceased. EXAT has always placed a premium on safety, and it will take further precautions to prevent a repeat of this incident.
However, given the Rama II Road’s infamous past, drivers are skeptical that this incident won’t be repeated.
A pickup truck was launched into the air after it crashed with a large steel beam in July of last year, as shown on a driver’s dashcam video of the incident. Fortunately, nobody was wounded.
A U-turn bridge across the Rama II Road collapsed later that month, collapsing upon four vehicles and killing two persons. One passenger passed away at the site, while the injured construction worker who fell from the bridge later passed away in the hospital. There were two more injuries.
On the Rama II Road in August, a car’s bumper was struck by an iron bar. Despite the automobile being destroyed, the driver escaped uninjured.
