Falling slab kills worker on Rama 2 highway

This large concrete segment fell on Rama 2 highway from the under-construction expressway overhead on Sunday afternoon. One worker was killed and four cars damaged. (Photo: Expressway Authority of Thailand)
This large concrete segment fell on Rama 2 highway from the under-construction expressway overhead on Sunday afternoon. One worker was killed and four cars damaged. (Photo: Expressway Authority of Thailand)

A construction worker was killed and four cars damaged when a slab of concrete fell from an under-construction expressway on Sunday afternoon.

According to an Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) statement, the bars holding a lifting frame snapped, causing a section of concrete to fall down onto Rama 2 highway.

Exat initially reported the falling slab damaged four cars and obstructed traffic on both sides of the highway. It said the contractor was contacting the damaged parties about compensation.

However, media reports said one construction worker was killed, with no other details.

Dashboard cam footage from a car showed a large concrete slab falling about 4.30pm onto the road island, crushing a worker and damaging four cars.

The driver said he heard a noise above him and then a huge concrete slab tilted and fell down.

Another motorist said he had to swerve violently to avoid being hit by the falling concrete. His vehicle suffered a cracked windshield and a punctured tyre.

The construction of the expressway over Rama 2 highway has had several previous accidents.

On the night of July 31, 2022, a five-tonne, 10-metre-long concrete beam fell off the U-turn bridge and dropped onto a car, killing two people and injuring five others.

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Vocabulary

  • beam: a long thick piece of metal, concrete, wood, etc. especially used to support weight in a building or other structure - คานรับน้ำหนัก
  • compensation (noun): money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them - การจ่ายเงินชดเชย
  • concrete: a hard substance used in building made by mixing cement, sand, small stones, and water - คอนกรีต
  • contractor: a person or company whose job is to do work for another person, organisation, company, etc. - ผู้รับเหมา
  • crush: to press something so hard that it breaks into very small pieces - กด  บีบอัด
  • dashboard: the part of the car in front of the driver that the steering wheel of a car is attached to; front console; control panel - แผงหน้าปัดรถยนต์, แผงหน้าปัด
  • obstruct: to make it difficult for something to happen or for someone or something to go somewhere - ขวางทาง
  • slab: a large flat piece of something or a large flat surface - แผ่นหนา
  • snap: to break something suddenly with a sharp noise; to be broken in this way - แตกและมีเสียงดังแหลม
  • statement: a formal written/spoken account of events that a person who has seen a crime or who has been accused of a crime gives to the police - คำให้การ
  • swerve: to change directions suddenly - เปลี่ยนทิศทาง
  • windshield: the large glass window at the front of a vehicle; a windscreen - กระจกหน้ารถ
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