A sub-contractor has been ordered to suspend work for three days and has been placed under investigation after a metal sheet fell from the elevated expressway under construction on Rama II Road, landing on a pickup truck.
Sarawut Songsivilai, director general of the Highways Department, said that the accident occurred on Monday morning, outside the 8pm-5am working hours of the construction.
An initial investigation indicates that the sub-contractor’s employees had stacked metal sheets on the elevated section without covering them, said Sarawut.
The sub-contractor would have its performance points cut, which could affect its ability to bid for future construction projects of the Highways Department, if it is discovered that the incident was caused by negligence.
“Strong winds and rain might have destabilised the metal sheets, one of which fell onto a pick-up truck below. The sheet pierced the bonnet of the brand-new truck. Fortunately, no one in the vehicle was hurt, he said.
Owner of the vehicle, Arjin said that he and his family were heading to a shopping mall in the Rama II area to have lunch.
“I was driving in the right lane. As I was approaching an overpass near Pak Bo Temple, a metal sheet crashed onto the bonnet of my car.”
Arjin also said that he felt uneasy every time he used the Rama II Road, because of the multiple accidents caused by falling debris from the elevated expressway roadworks. He said the sub-contractor has, however, promised to compensate him fully for the damage to his car.
Rama II has been notorious as a “never-ending” construction site where a series of accidents have occurred. In August last year, a three-meter metal bracket fell onto Rama II Road from a truck at an overpass construction site on the Bang Khun Thian-Ekachai Highway. A driver passing beneath narrowly escaped death when his car was hit by the bracket.
In a separate interview, Ajin, the owner of the vehicle, said he had just bought the vehicle and was driving with his family to a department store when the accident happened.
“I was driving in the right lane of the road when the metal sheet fell on my vehicle. I have already alerted the authorities and filed a complaint with the police about the incident,” Ajin said.
