Rama II Road was the scene of yet another construction-related incident in Monday when a 50-centimetre metal sheet from the elevated section of the motorway fell on a pick-up truck.
Ajin, the 46-year-old driver, told the press that the incident occurred in Samut Sakhon at around 11.45 on Monday while he was taking family for lunch at a renowned shopping mall in Bangkok.
He said he pulled over and parked after a metal sheet from the elevated motorway, which is currently under construction, fell on his vehicle at the Wat Pak Bo Intersection. He added that his family was panicked by the incident, saying that he did not want to use Rama II Road again.
Ajin asked relevant agencies to check his truck, claiming that he had bought it just a week ago. “My family scrapped our lunch plans, and I filed a complaint at Mueang Samut Sakhon Police Station,” he said.
He also asked the contractor of the elevated motorway to pay extra attention to safety, saying that his family could have been seriously injured had the falling metal sheet been larger.
The contractor has agreed to pay compensation to the victim.
The elevated motorway on Rama II Road was initiated by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government as part of its 20-year national development scheme to provide a quicker alternative route to the South.
The construction of the Rama II expressway, which was started in the 1970s, has suffered several delays over the years, resulting in notorious bottlenecks. The elevated section has been the cause of several accidents, most of them the result of workers ignoring safety protocols.
In March this year, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit ordered the contractors to complete the job by June 2025.