This is the heartbreaking moment a grief-stricken calf guarded its mother killed in a truck crash in Thailand.

The baby animal cried and refused to leave its dead parent following the traffic accident in Chonburi on May 22.

Video shows the distressed calf trying to nurse as its mother lay stationary on the roadside. A bull believed to be the father charged at rescuers trying to approach.

Police arrived at the crash site near a railway after receiving a report at 10:06 pm. They detained driver Suthiwat Kwangkaewmorakot, 25, who was unharmed despite the damage to his pickup truck.

Suthiwat said: 'I was driving as usual along the road, but it was quite dark. It was too late when I noticed the cow. I tried to swerve to avoid it, but there was not enough time and I hit it hard. The cow flew toward the edge of the forest.'

Authorities later removed the vehicle and the dead cow from the scene.

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, Thailand suffers from chronic underinvestment in its highways and education, contributing to its poor road safety levels. Only a handful of African countries are worse.

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.