Municipal councillor injured in accident faces charges

By Prasit Leerahakhunakorn 
The Nation

 

 

A 60-year-old municipality councillor who was driving a pickup truck faces charges after being involved in an accident with a train in Chumphon province on Saturday evening.

 

The councillor was seriously injured while his wife and another female relative had slight injuries when the train crashed into the rear of their pickup at 7.20pm, according to police.

 

Initial police investigation found that the pickup driver, Tambon Napho Pattana Municipality councillor Somboon Alawee, and his relatives were heading home from a monk ordination party. They reached a railway crossing at Ban Khao Suan Durian, where there was an alarm about an incoming train. 

 

Somboon was suspected to have driven the pickup, evading the lowering railway crossing barrier, but the train crashed into his vehicle’s rear, investigator Pol Lt-Colonel Pattana Kongchang said. As the wounded persons’ relatives had collected and kept their personal documents along with the pickup’s dashboard camera, police would request such evidence as part of the investigation, Pattana said. 

 

Police would initially file a charge of reckless driving resulting in injuries to many people and causing damage to state property, he said.

 

The train was towed back to the Ban Khao Suan Durian Train Station for repairs before it was able to resume its journey to Bangkok.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30347378

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-11

1 hour ago, webfact said:

They reached a railway crossing at Ban Khao Suan Durian, where there was an alarm about an incoming train. 

 

Somboon was suspected to have driven the pickup, evading the lowering railway crossing barrier, but the train crashed into his vehicle’s rear,

quite a top grade councillor, wonder what he thought the alarms and barrier were for

An everyday occurrence here, like its a game lets beat the barrier.

Many people do it, mainly motorbikes, but sometimes 4 wheel vehicles.

44 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

wonder what he thought the alarms and barrier were for

 

Thought ?? What, like thinking !! 

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

An everyday occurrence here, like its a game lets beat the barrier.

Many people do it, mainly motorbikes, but sometimes 4 wheel vehicles.

Yeah, we see it here in Udon too.

 

<rant mode: Start>

There seem to be so many drivers that are Jekyll and Hyde characters. When you're talking with them they are usually polite, but once in charge of a vehicle, their alter ego appears with that "me first" character surfacing, hence the need to ignore the level crossing warning lights.

 

When I'm sitting on a motorbike at traffic lights, the number of other bikes that push their way to the front of the other bikes in the queue, then when the lights change - they're off! They ride off at such a sedate pace, you'd assume that they would be right at the front in order to accelerate off into the sunset at warp speed, but no.

<rant mode: End>

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

An everyday occurrence here, like its a game lets beat the barrier.

Many people do it, mainly motorbikes, but sometimes 4 wheel vehicles.

No argument there, although with no lights or signals at all, one half of a crossing barrier unaccountably lowered two weeks ago narrowly missing my car as I was passing on the other side of the road and only two days ago the well lit automated barrier at another nearby crossing was closed for ten minutes with no train arriving, which resulted in several cars and motor bikes having eventually to zig-zag across.  Admittedly, everyone I saw carefully checked the line both ways before crossing.  This particular crossing barrier had been repaired just two weeks before. 

Going to be fun when the Hi-speed trains start to run, be no more injuries all deaths!!!!!

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

quite a top grade councillor, wonder what he thought the alarms and barrier were for

 

Just the usual Me First attitude. I'll do what I want to do. I hope it costs him a hefty fee for the damage he caused. Will he think or care about the lives he put in danger? Probably not, as so many Thais are utterly incapable of linking cause and effect - 'if a train is coming and I ignore the barrier we might be killed' would never have occurred to him.