University lecturer dies after car overturns into roadside ditch in Phayao

PHAYAO — 30 September 2026, 39-year-old university demonstration-school lecturer died after his car reportedly lost control on a curve, overturned and landed on its side in a roadside drainage ditch in Phayao province early Tuesday.

Police at Mae Ka Police Station were alerted at 02:48 on 30 Wednesday to a car that had overturned into a ditch and grass beside Phayao–Nakhon Sawan Road, about 200 metres beyond Mae Ka Municipality in Muang district.

Officers, rescue workers from the Phayao Ruam Kusol Association and Fah Mui rescue volunteers found a white Toyota sedan on its side in the ditch. The vehicle was heavily damaged and the driver was trapped inside.

Rescuers used hydraulic cutting equipment to remove the man’s body from the car.

The driver, identified only as Patcharathat, 39, was a lecturer at a university demonstration school, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was sent to Phayao Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Police initially believe the car was travelling from Phayao town towards the University of Phayao when it lost control on a curve, left the road and overturned into the ditch.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Police are examining evidence, the vehicle and conditions at the scene.