This is the shocking moment a van rear-ended a truck injuring six people 'when sunlight shone into the driver's eyes'.

Van driver Pornchai Kummee, 33, was driving along Debaratna road in Samut Prakan, Thailand on July 26 to take his passengers to Udon Thani province around 376 miles away.

As Pornchai drove forward, a beam of sunlight temporarily blinded him, causing the van to smash into the stationary six-wheeler truck in front.

Dashcam footage shows the van moving on the rightmost lane and screeching when Pornchai stepped on the brakes just seconds before the collision.

Police officers in the Bang Phli district responded to the crash and found three damaged vehicles at the scene - the truck, Pornchai's van, and a pick-up truck driving behind him.

Officers said six people were injured, including a seriously wounded Pornchai who was crushed in his seat.

Rescuers had to pry open the van's door to extract him. He was then strapped onto a stretcher and rushed to the Chularat Suvarnabhumi Hospital with the other injured individuals.

The accident caused a temporary traffic jam as the right lane had to be closed while the wreckage was removed.

Wipa Prathumwan, a van passenger who had hired Pornchai to drive her, said she had rented the van from Chonburi province to travel back to her hometown Udon Thani.

She said: 'We were on our way to Bangkok to fetch my friend. The driver was driving normally and not acting unusual. I fell asleep but woke up when I heard the van screeching before the crash. I feel lucky I only suffered minor injuries.'

Pick-up truck driver Tiwa said he was driving at a safe distance behind the van, but failed to brake on time when the crash occurred. He said he shot forward, but the seatbelt and airbags kept him from smashing through the windscreen.

He said: 'It was fortunate that we all had our seatbelts on. Otherwise, our injuries would have been much worse.'

Police Captain Anan Thongluea of the Bang Phli Police Station arrived at the scene to collect evidence. He said all drivers and passengers will be questioned to determine the cause of the accident.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.