Driver's nap on expressway leads to fatal accident

By Dac Thanh June 22, 2025 | 08:11 pm PT

A container truck driver has been arrested in central Vietnam for stopping and taking a nap on an expressway after a bus rear-ended his vehicle, killing two people.

Early on June 19 Le Xuan Hung, 44, a resident of the northern Vinh Phuc Province, stopped his truck half in the emergency lane and half in the high-speed lane on the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway in Thang Binh District, Quang Nam Province.

He only turned on his hazard lights and did not place any warning devices.

Lê Xuân Hưng tại cơ quan điều tra. Ảnh: Xuân Mai

Le Xuan Hung at a police station in Quang Nam Province. Photo by Xuan Mai

The deadly accident occurred at around 2 a.m. when the passenger bus driven by Pham Duc Toan, 49, with over 20 people crashed into the truck portion jutting out into the high-speed lane.

Toan and his assistant Nguyen Van Thang died instantly and 16 passengers were injured, two of them seriously.

The bus's front was severely damaged while the truck sustained minor damages.

Xe container đỗ xe một nửa xe nằm ở làn khẩn cấp, một nửa ở làn xe chạy. Ảnh: Sơn Thủy

The container truck after the deadly accident in Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam on June 19, 2025. Photo by Son Thuy

Police tested Hung for alcohol and drugs, but he was clean. He has a valid driver's license.

The 139-km-long Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway has four lanes and two emergency stop lanes and a speed limit of 120 kph.

It runs from Da Nang City to Quang Ngai through Quang Nam.