The accident occurred around 7:00 when a man driving a pickup truck on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, heading towards Noi Bai, crashed into a sheet metal barrier protecting a construction site. The vehicle then veered into the road expansion construction zone near Bao Ha commune, Lao Cai province.

The driver died on the spot. The front of the pickup truck was crushed, and its windshield was cracked. A section of the sheet metal barrier was torn open by the impact.

According to Tran Trung Kien, Chairman of Bao Ha Commune People's Committee, the victim was a police major serving at the Lao Cai Provincial Police.

The scene of the accident. Photo: Le Duc

The Hanoi - Lao Cai expressway spans over 260 km, connecting three provinces: Hanoi, Phu Tho, and Lao Cai. The expanding section of road where this accident occurred has only two lanes and no hard median barrier. The speed limit for vehicles has been reduced to 50 km/h, down from 80 km/h previously.

Beyond this incident, several other accidents have involved the sheet metal barriers for road expansion.

Previously, on 3/3, on this same expanding section of road near Chau Que commune, Lao Cai province, a pickup truck heading towards Noi Bai crashed into a sheet metal barrier protecting the construction site and veered into the construction zone. The vehicle overturned and was heavily damaged. The driver was impaled by an iron bar from the construction barrier and died on the spot.

Also on 3/3, in Bao Ha commune, Lao Cai province, heading towards Noi Bai, a 4-seater car crashed into a sheet metal barrier protecting the construction site. An iron bar pierced directly through the windshield, and the occupant sustained minor injuries. 5 days prior to that, a car crashed into a roadside sheet metal barrier, veering into the road expansion construction area, causing one person to be impaled in the chest by an iron bar from the barrier.

Following multiple car crashes into the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway expansion construction site, the Traffic Police Department advises drivers to reduce speed and maintain safe distances.

Viet An