Only in Thailand: Three Police Officers Injured When Their Pickup Collides with Train

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PRACHIN BURI – One might expect or accept a Thai citizen having their vehicle stuck by a train at a railway crossing but today three “police officers” were injured when their pickup truck collided with a passenger train at a crossing in Kabin Buri district.

The three Thai Policemen who are supposedly trained to enforce and abide by traffic laws in Thailand were driving a police truck belonging to the Province’s forensic division, heading to the station after finishing an inspection at a fire scene in tambon Ban Na in Kabin Buri district.

The driver (A Police Officer) apparently wasn’t familiar with the route and didn’t know the train schedule, as he crossed the tracks the police truck was struck by the Aranyaprathet to Bangkok train travelling on its “normal” schedule.

The force of the impact caused the truck to overturn in the ditch beside the railway tracks.

The three injured police officers were identified as Pol Lt Co Rojanaporn Kenbupha, Pol Lt Somphop Tumsua and Pol Cpl Chatri Onkate. They were sent to a nearby hospital by a local rescue team.

Accidents at railway crossings are frequent in Thailand, where jurisdictional arguments about barriers have long been a problem. “It seems even for Police Officers.”

Legal responsibility for erecting barriers rests with the State Railway of Thailand for tracks built over existing roads. But if a new road is built and crosses an existing rail line, the barrier must be paid for by the authority responsible for the road.

 

Source:  Manit Sanubboon | Bangkok Post