An assistant professor at the University of Phayao was driving a sedan that crashed into an electric pole before falling into a ditch along the Nakhon Sawan-Chiang Rai road, resulting in his death at the scene. Police are urgently investigating the incident in detail to determine the cause.
At 02:40 on 30 Sep 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Warayut Thipwarakorn, Deputy Investigation Officer of Mae Ka Police Station in Mueang District, Phayao Province, received a report of a car accident where a sedan lost control and struck a roadside electric pole near Ban Maekarai, Village No. 6, Mae Ka Subdistrict. The victim was trapped inside the vehicle. Rescue teams and forensic doctors from Phayao Hospital were dispatched to the scene to investigate.
At the accident site on the Nakhon Sawan-Chiang Rai road, a white Toyota sedan registered in Phayao was found overturned and submerged in a roadside ditch. The car was completely damaged. Inside, the victim was trapped on the driver's side. Rescue workers used cutting tools to carefully extract the body from the wreckage.
Preliminary document checks identified the deceased as Assistant Professor Patcharathach Chaimongkol, 39, a lecturer at the University of Phayao. Authorities sent the body to Phayao Hospital for a detailed autopsy to determine the cause of death and coordinated with the family for funeral arrangements.
Police initially suspect the accident occurred on a curve where the victim may have been driving at high speed, lost control, and crashed violently into the roadside electric pole, causing the car to overturn and fall into the ditch. Investigations including evidence collection and site measurements are ongoing to conclusively determine the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, the Faculty of Science at the University of Phayao posted a message expressing condolences on the passing of Assistant Professor Patcharathach Chaimongkol, a faculty member of the Physics Department.