A freight train slammed into a pickup truck at a railway crossing in Chachoengsao this morning, July 22, injuring the driver after he failed to see the approaching train.
Police were called to the railway crossing outside a school in Yotha subdistrict at around 6.30am. Rescue workers also responded to the scene.
Officers found a grey pickup with extensive damage to the front, while the rear of the vehicle had been torn open after being struck by a freight train travelling from Map Ta Phut in Rayong province to Kaeng Khoi station in Saraburi province.
Residents helped remove the injured driver from the pickup before rescue workers provided first aid and took him to Bang Nam Priao Hospital. The 61 year old suffered head and forehead injuries in the collision.
The driver told police he had just dropped off his daughter, who was waiting to board a train, and he was driving back. He said the crossing barrier began to lower as he was crossing the tracks, but he only looked to his right and did not look left before the freight train struck the rear of the pickup.
Khaosod reported that investigators will question the injured driver further at Bang Nam Priao Hospital and proceed with legal action.
In similar news, a video shared on Facebook shows a school van avoiding a collision with a train after the driver crossed while barriers were lowering, then stopped on the railway tracks.
The clip showed the van continuing through the crossing before suddenly stopping on the tracks, reportedly after the driver became startled. The vehicle then blocked the barrier from closing, prompting a response from the railway crossing worker.
The story Freight train slams into pickup at Chachoengsao railway crossing as seen on Thaiger News.
