Grandmother and grandson flee for their lives as train smashes pick-up at "faulty" crossing

[webfact]

Grandmother and grandson flee for their lives as train smashes pick-up at "faulty" crossing

 

Picture: Daily News

 

A grandmother and her ten year old grandson were lucky to escape with their lives after getting stuck between the barriers of a level crossing in Prajuab Khiri Khan on Sunday. 

 

Locals told the Daily News that the automatic crossing was always going wrong. 

 

Pornthip Malaiket, 58, was driving home in her four door Toyota pick-up.

 

She said that she heard no warning siren and the barriers were up as she went over the crossing in the Sala Mor Phrom area of Ban Ta Hoo Kwang in Thap Sakae. 

 

When she was half way across, the barriers came down both in front of her and behind trapping her vehicle on the rails. 

 

She quickly opened her door and that of her grandson and both fled as a train approached. 

 

She looked back as the train slammed into her vehicle propelling it into a field. 

 

The train - the Surat Thai to Bangkok Sprinter 40 - was stopped 500 meters down the tracks when Thap Sakae police arrived on the scene. 

 

Locals told Daily News that the automatic crossing was frequently faulty. Sometimes there was no warning sound that the barriers were descending and sometimes the barriers even came down when there was no train coming. 

 

An investigation is underway. 

 

Source: Daily News

 

 -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-04-29

[Vacuum]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

When she was half way across, the barriers came down both in front of her and behind trapping her vehicle on the rails.

At what speed does these barriers come down, by gravity?

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

At what speed does these barriers come down, by gravity?

 

Definitely powered down, 10 seconds or so to close, there's supposed to be lights and a pling-pling sound before the barriers start moving.

 

If the barrier comes down when you are on the tracks KEEP GOING, the barrier is lightweight and will break, the damage to your vehicle will be rather less that it would be from being hit by a train.

 

[watcharacters]

 

 

Do not remain on train tracks when a train approaches.

 

[Crossy]

Just now, watcharacters said:

Do not remain on train tracks when a train approaches.

 

Indeed.

 

And yet, Youtube is filled with videos from all over the world where people stop on the tracks coz the barrier has come down in front of them, with predictable consequences.

 

[Vacuum]

Fumbling with gears, got the wrong one and stalled the engine (assuming she was driving a stick shift)?

[Just Weird]

4 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Fumbling with gears, got the wrong one and stalled the engine (assuming she was driving a stick shift)?

...or maybe what happened was just as she reported it.

[Vacuum]

3 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

...or maybe what happened was just as she reported it.

She got half way across, and suddenly the barriers just fell down.... I don't think so.

 

Edit: It's possible, but not likely.

[Lupatria]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Locals told the Daily News that the automatic crossing was always going wrong. 

Locals told Daily News that the automatic crossing was frequently faulty. Sometimes there was no warning sound that the barriers were descending and sometimes the barriers even came down when there was no train coming. 

...unfortunately nobody had the time to inform those in charge of the problem???

[sammieuk1]

The amount of people and vehicles hit by trains on a one track railway is baffling said the fat controller ???? 

[fxe1200]

2 hours ago, Vacuum said:

At what speed does these barriers come down, by gravity?

9.81 m/sec²

[Vacuum]

12 minutes ago, fxe1200 said:

sec²

What's that?

[Pattaya28]

The Pick-Up must have been travelling at 5 KPH and the barriers must have dropped like a bullitt for this to happen. 

[phantomfiddler]

39 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

What's that?

32 ft per second per second, ie being the acceleration due to gravity (in a medium that causes no friction, ie a vacuum)

[peter14]

what did they say?  A high-speed train in Thailand...????????

[drtreelove]

Faulty Crossing?  Is that a sequel to Faulty Towers?  Although this one is no joke.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I live in the same Province and a rail crossing that I use frequently also had an automatic barrier system which repeatedly malfunctioned. It was fixed but took over two years to isolate an obscure electrical fault,

 

The real problem is that drivers believe that, because the barriers are up, it is safe to cross and don't bother to halt at the STOP sign and check visually and aurally whether a train is coming. 

[Myran]

She was driving a freaking pickup... that thing could push the barrier out of the way in Neutral.

[keystonecoppers2]

 

 

 

                                         Pattaya28!

 

 

                         No one, I repeat, NO ONE is travelling at 5 kph in this country!!

[helloagain]

Sounds like 3 wa's and 500 baht fine

[malt25]

3 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Do not remain on train tracks when a train approaches.

 

Really !

 

[Peterphuket]

2 hours ago, Vacuum said:

What's that?

That's high school mathematics.

[jkcjag]

2 hours ago, Vacuum said:

What's that?

9.81 metres per second squared is acceleration due to gravity, not speed. When the force of gravity is in equilibrium with the force of friction, the object will no longer accelerate, and this will be its terminal velocity.

[0815]

2 hours ago, Lupatria said:

...unfortunately nobody had the time to inform those in charge of the problem???

Why inform somebody in charge ?
Nothing happened yet before, so why ? = LOS ???? 

[RotBenz8888]

1 hour ago, peter14 said:

what did they say?  A high-speed train in Thailand...????????

Barriers down 5 min after the train has passed...

 

 

Sure hope that the new high speed railway will go above ground or we'll have stories like this on a daily basis.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Pattaya28 said:

The Pick-Up must have been travelling at 5 KPH and the barriers must have dropped like a bullitt for this to happen. 

Or she panicked, entered the crossing, saw the barriers coming down braked & froze... should have kept going to clear the rails at least, or even push the exiting barrier to get clear.

I'm sure the crossing guard would have momentarily lifted them to let her out!!!

[Classic Ray]

1 hour ago, peter14 said:

what did they say?  A high-speed train in Thailand...????????

Fortunately high speed trains do not have level crossings,and should be protected by fencing and/or viaducts to prevent “unofficial” crossings from being created.

[connda]

When crossing the tracks in our village, I stop, look both ways, then proceed if safe.
And our crossings have lights and barriers, if a train hits you, does it really matter if the lights and barrier worked or not?  Due diligence.  I know - unheard of in the Land of excuSes.  But, these are the same who don't understand the concept of right of way.  They should feel lucky to walk away although they will attempt to get the railway to pay.

[geoffbezoz]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Indeed.

 

And yet, Youtube is filled with videos from all over the world where people stop on the tracks coz the barrier has come down in front of them, with predictable consequences.

 

Its also surprising when people claim that "they gone wrong" yet when checked over they were found to be working normally.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

check visually and aurally whether a train is coming.

 

That would take common sense, which is in very short supply in Thailand.