4:30 PM today

So I was just coming down from the mountains on the road from Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang and there is a man on the side of the road waving us down. We slow but do not stop as we figure he just wants a ride to town and we have no room. About 100 meters past him, around a sharp curve is a double semi turned over in the culvert.

The both trailers were filled with concrete bags. The accident happened seconds before as the dust was still in the air. We are the first ones there and I pull over to the side of the road. At first it was unclear as to what exactly was going on; I’ve never been first on the scene of an accident like this so it was kind of a shock and took a second to get my head together.

It seems from what the witness said that the truck sounded like the brakes failed. Very easy on this road as it is all downhill for about 20kms. The truck came around the bend and was just going too fast. It turned on its side and skidded against the embankment and along the culvert. The front of the truck and the top of the cab were gone.

As I said it took a second for me to get my bearings. There was so much dust on everything that you couldn’t make out if anyone was in there. As I look into the front on the cab I see the driver move a little bit and that wakes me up. It is impossible to get to him from the front as the dirt embankment goes up about 15 ft and the cab is right up against it. I subconsciously assessed the danger around and it seemed the diesel tanks were ok and there was only a faint smell of fuel. At the time I didn’t even know I was doing this or more likely, didn’t care.

I run around the entire truck and make it to the back. As I am trying to get to the driver I fall almost up to my waist in cement dust. I finally get to him and he is in and out of consciousness. I try to talk to him and tell my wife to do the same. Just keep him awake. I try to look around for a passenger and it looks like he is alone. His foot is pinned against the seat cushion and the dashboard and he wakes up for a second to try to get it free. I help to push the cushion back and his foot comes out. Remarkably that is the only thing he was pinned on.

The cab is destroyed. No steering wheel that I could see, no roof, no nothing. I didn’t know if I was standing in the truck, on the truck, or on the ground.
I checked him and he was moving both legs and both feet. His left arm was also moving and I looked for his right. It was under his backpack and all contorted so I thought it was broken. He had a little blood from the right ear and from his nose. He was going in and out. Never spoke, and only moved in spurts. When he went out his breathing sounded deep and labored so he may have had internal injuries.

After a few minutes of waiting there and trying to keep him awake some other people stopped by to help. One was smoking and soon told to F. off. An army guy showed up and started to dig him out from the front. This is eventually the way they pulled him out.

At this point another guy pointed right next to me. It turns out the broken arm was not the drivers, it was another passenger. He was covered in dust like everything else and I know I looked directly at him but never saw him. The back of his head was towards me and pinned in a way that I don’t think anyone could have survived.
More people came to help and at this point I stepped aside. They pulled the driver out by his feet and loaded him into the back of the truck to take to hospital. I got in my truck and decided to leave as more and more people were coming and there was nothing more I could do.

It was incredible that the driver was still alive after this accident. Can’t say I have ever seen anything so destroyed. The front was completely gone, the engine exposed and scattered, the top of the cab nowhere to be found and the driver is still alive. The only thing that probably saved him was as the truck skidded along the space between the road and the embankment protected his side. The passenger’s side unfortunately skidded with full force along the road.

I know people always say never stop for an accident. I have heard all the stories of people being screwed over for doing what is right and helping when help is needed. I always told myself never to stop, but when it comes down to it and another person needed my help, how could I be so selfish as to not stop and help them regardless of the consequences. I’ll admit, it crossed my mind, and I was cautious as to not move him, but I just could not stand there and do nothing.

I needed to get that off my chest so thanks for listening. I don’t yet know the drivers condition but will try to check tomorrow.