Bang Na-Trat Pedestrian Bridge Collapse Kills Driver, Paralyzes Bangkok Traffic
A routine inbound drive on Bang Na–Trat Road became a nightmare yesterday when a pedestrian bridge at kilometre 34 crumpled onto the traffic below. The collapse, triggered by a dump-truck whose bed had been left raised, killed one driver, left another critically wounded, and paralysed one of the busiest gateways into Bangkok for much of the day.
Snapshot for busy readers
• Bridge beam crashed down just before the morning rush peaked
• 1 fatality, 1 serious injury confirmed by rescue officials
• 18-wheeler with raised hydraulic bed is believed to have struck the bridge
• Inbound lanes closed for over six hours, creating tailbacks well past Suvarnabhumi Airport
• Rebuild bill estimated at about ฿10 M and at least three months of construction detours
A shattering moment on a familiar highway
Commuters heading toward the capital heard a deafening crack at dawn when a 60-tonne concrete span slammed onto two vehicles—a soil-haulage truck and a pickup stacked high with egg crates. Eyewitnesses told FM 91 that cars around them blared horns frantically once they noticed the truck bed towering above normal clearance, but the warning came too late.
What inspectors have pieced together
Preliminary evidence suggests the dump-truck’s hydraulic bed, left fully extended after an earlier soil drop-off, punched the underside of the pedestrian bridge at roughly 60 kph. Engineers from the Department of Highways say the crossing, erected in 2012, was certified to handle vertical loads of half a tonne per square metre, yet it had little chance against a side impact from a 30-tonne vehicle. The driver, 65-year-old Luechai Bua-phian, is under police custody at Bang Phli Noi station while officers review dashboard-camera footage and mechanical records.
Human cost hidden behind the concrete
Emergency crews from both Ruamkatanyu and Poh Teck Tung foundations laboured almost two hours with heavy cutters to reach Sangwian Mek-khieo, 59, trapped inside the flattened pickup. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Luechai, the truck driver, sustained multiple fractures and remains in ICU at a Samut Prakan hospital. Rescue leaders added that a ruptured LPG cylinder on the truck complicated operations but was sealed before igniting.
Ripple effects across Greater Bangkok traffic
By 09 : 30 the logjam stretched more than 8 km, with motorists spilling onto frontage roads near King Kaew, Bang Bo, and the Bang Na–Chonburi Expressway in search of alternatives. Highway officials finally reopened two lanes mid-afternoon after cranes hoisted the shattered beam onto flatbeds. Nevertheless, rush-hour commuters endured an average 75-minute delay, according to the Transport Ministry’s real-time sensors.
Engineers call for smarter safeguards
Civil-engineering scholars argue the disaster exposes a systemic blind spot: Thailand’s bridges are built tough against gravity, not errant lorries. Suggested fixes include:
• Electronic height-scanner gantries that trigger alarms if a truck exceeds the 4.5 m limit
• Stiff fines and automatic licence suspensions for drivers who fail to lock hydraulic beds
• Crash-bar frames installed ahead of pedestrian bridges on high-lorry corridorsDr. Amorn Pimanmas of the Structural Engineers Association notes that Israel, Singapore and Japan have reduced similar collisions by deploying laser sensors and overhead chains that rattle offending vehicles before they reach critical structures.
What commuters should do now
Until the bridge is replaced, pedestrians must detour to crossings 600 m away, while drivers are urged to stay on the outer-ring expressways or exit at Bang Bo and Lat Krabang. Digital map providers have been fed the closure data, but officials caution that holiday traffic could still snarl the corridor.
Local authorities promise to publish a reconstruction timeline within two weeks. For now, the twisted rebar at kilometre 34 stands as a stark reminder: one unchecked hydraulic switch can bring an entire highway to a standstill—and forever alter two families’ lives.
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