A car was heavily damaged on Rama II Road in Bang Khunthian district late Thursday night when a canvas sheet filled with rainwater fell from an elevated road structure under construction.
Thichakorn Phothalay, 33, said yesterday the canvas struck her car while she was driving on an outbound expressway lane on Rama II Road.
The impact caused a startling thump when the water-filled fabric hit her Ford Fiesta, Ms Thichakorn said. However she was able to stop the vehicle safely.
While fortunate to emerge unharmed, Ms Thichakorn said the heavy canvas sheet crushed the roof of her car and broke the windscreen.
She said the canvas must have fallen because of the weight of rainwater trapped inside.
The registered owner of the vehicle, Nitiphan Wongraksa, 38, posted dashcam footage of the incident on social media, explaining he had lent his girlfriend the car so she could drive back from her studies.
Noting there were many similar canvas sheets heavily logged with rainwater along the route, Mr Nitiphan said his girlfriend was fortunate not to have been hurt in the incident.
The car, however, was not insured against such damage. Therefore, the owner will have to negotiate compensation from the elevated roadway's contractor.
Following the incident, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob ordered the Highways Department to arrange for reparations.
The protective canvas fell from the 24.7-kilometre-long Bang Khun Thian-Ban Phaew elevated road project being completed by the Highways Department.
Itthiwat Krisanawanit, bridge construction director for the department, explained that protective sheets are used to cover construction materials so as to prevent the very same possibility -- their falling onto the roadway below.
To prevent a recurrence, officials will pierce holes in the protective sheets to drain any rainwater, he said.
The Transport Ministry previously ordered the Highways Department to suspend all construction along Rama II Road for a safety review after a bridge collapse killed two people on July 31.