Actress dies in highway car crash

Actress dies in highway car crash

Actress Natnicha "Nong In" Cherdchubuppakaree was killed in a car accident in Ayutthaya province on Saturday.

NONG IN: Former actress and singer.

The actress, a 20-year-old Bangkok resident, was found dead inside her BMW sedan on Highway No.9 heading to Saraburi in tambon Chiang Rak Noi in Bang Pa-in district around 8am. She had crashed into a roadside tree.

Rescue workers, who were informed of the accident by a passerby, needed to use special equipment to retrieve the body of Natnicha, which was trapped inside the driver's seat. The actress has also sustained a fractured skull.

A damaged mobile phone was also found in the car.

Her body was taken to Thammasat University Hospital for a postmortem examination.

Rescue worker Siriwat Pakchareon said the vehicle appeared to have skidded off the road and crashed into a roadside traffic sign before smashing into the tree.

He assumed the vehicle skidded because the road was slippery following heavy rain.

Thanapong Jinvong, programme manager at Road Safety Group Thailand, said trees along highways are often involved in fatal accidents. The Road Safety Policy Foundation, citing a study, has already proposed removing trees from the sides of high-speed routes.

The actress's family expects to receive the body on Sunday for a funeral rite.

Born in 1998, Natnicha came to prominence as a child actress in the Kaew Ta Wan Jai (My Beloved) soap, which aired on Channel 7 in 2003. She then became a TV host, model and singer signed to Sony Music Entertainment and later starred in the 2004 film Kankai Kai Pamai (Scissors, Egg, Silk).

Ayutthaya Provincial Police deputy chief Pol Col Sanga Theerasaranyanon said a probe would be launched to determine the cause of the accident.

Theories include slippery road conditions, the driver falling asleep or using a mobile phone while driving, drink-driving, or another vehicle suddenly cutting in front of the actress's car.

Natnicha's mother, Ladda Cherdchubuppakaree, appeared at Bang Pa-in police station to process a document to obtain her daughter's body, saying she was shocked as her daughter had called her yesterday around 1am to tell her she had arrived at her condominium in Bangkok.

Ms Ladda said she had no knowledge of her daughter's travel plans yesterday, although she had no reason to be suspicious about the death.

Meanwhile, in Pathum Thani, a lorry skidded and flipped over due to heavy rain yesterday on inbound Phahon Yothin Road at 3am, causing traffic congestion.

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