Train hits truck at unmanned railway crossing again in Pak Tho

[Lite Beer]

Train hits truck at unmanned railway crossing again in Pak Tho

BANGKOK: -- A truck driver was killed and a woman was seriously injured when the container truck they were travelling in was rammed by passenger train in Pak Tho district of Ratchaburi province Saturday morning.

Pak Tho police reported the incident happened at 10.20 am near Bo Takrow railway crossing in Tambon Bo Kradarn between the Sugnai Kolok rapid train from Sungai Kolok to Bangkok and the container truck.

The driver identified as Prawit saw Ton, 53, was driving on the Bo Takow- Bo Kradarn road and was approaching an unmanned railway crossing.

The train was also arriving near the crossing.

Witnesses said the driver drove on to the crossing trying to avoid a concrete railway signboard blocking his sight, the head of his truck was already jumped on the tracks at the same time as the train approached.

The truck was rammed on the head by the speedy train killing the driver and seriously injured the woman who came with him.

The crash, however, did not derail the train but cause a 15-minute delay when it has to await railway workers to clear the badly damaged truck from the tracks.

Villagers said the sign board was erected close to the crossing and obstruct the sighting of the train. Therefore drivers had to drive close to the tracks to get clearer view of whether there is any oncoming trains. To do this the front part of the vehicles will be on the tracks already.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/train-hits-truck-unmanned-railway-crossing-pak-tho

-- Thai PBS 2015-02-21

[thesetat2013]

Brilliant logic to put a sign up blocking the sight of the dangers and making so you have to be at risk just to assess the danger

[djjamie]

RIP to the victim and a speedy recovery for the passenger of the truck.

15 minute delay? WOW. I am used to the scene being cordoned off and a health and safety investigation being conducted, but then this is Thailand.

There is an unmanned rail crossing a few kilometers out from the Khon Kaen zoo and I always make sure we stop and look both ways before crossing. The cars behind me don't appreciate it if their beeping is any indication, but I would prefer a beep to a bang!

[malathione]

How utterly sad. What a waste.

[berybert]

Forced to drive onto the track to see if a train is coming. Someone needs to go for jail for manslaughter.

[WhamBam]

La La Land to put something in the way to stop drivers seeing if there is a train coming.

What about lights? Barriers? No mention of those. I'd presume this is one of those crossings that do not have any? If so that makes this crossing even crazier especially with a 'fast train' using it.

[ChrisY1]

Brilliant logic to put a sign up blocking the sight of the dangers and making so you have to be at risk just to assess the danger

They do this all over.....and more so a road intersections....stupidity!

[WhizBang]

Who exactly, erected this sign? Hold them accountable and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

[worgeordie]

I hope both the Railways and drivers get their acts together,before the introduction

of the Hi-speed trains,drivers have to realize they must stop and look both ways,

before crossing,just because they crossed yesterday,last week, without looking,and

no train was coming,it does not follow there wont be one coming today.

Regards Worgeordie

[ratcatcher]

La La Land to put something in the way to stop drivers seeing if there is a train coming.

What about lights? Barriers? No mention of those. I'd presume this is one of those crossings that do not have any? If so that makes this crossing even crazier especially with a 'fast train' using it.

No mention of the train blowing its horn or whistle. If it was a marked crossing that would have been normal practice and would be recorded on the locomotive's event recorder............................assuming it had one.

RIP to the driver and condolences to his loved ones.

[Pattaya28]

Incredible !!!!

Leaves me quite speechless.

Brings a new meaning for the word "stupidity".

[BSJ]

La La Land to put something in the way to stop drivers seeing if there is a train coming.

What about lights? Barriers? No mention of those. I'd presume this is one of those crossings that do not have any? If so that makes this crossing even crazier especially with a 'fast train' using it.

No mention of the train blowing its horn or whistle. If it was a marked crossing that would have been normal practice and would be recorded on the locomotive's event recorder............................assuming it had one.

RIP to the driver and condolences to his loved ones.

Blowing the whistle.....your kidding, right? I lived for 2 years in Jomtien not to far from 3 level crossings and not once did I hear a whistle.

Several times waiting at the boom gates on the Phichit outskirts (Phichit to Sak Lek Rd) the train has past through with not even a short pip of the whistle.

In comparison in the USA they hammer the whistle!

Checkout the Youtube video of UP trains at crossings. The second clip is a beauty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ5O4TRp9dk

[Briggsy]

Driver's fault. Sign or no sign. There would have been lights, train sounding its horn, perhaps gates stopping the oncoming traffic. Drivers here never stop on the line. They go through at slow speed and then slam on after the line if something is coming, forcing the other traffic to move out. However this does not work with a train which is on fixed tracks.

[bubblegum]

Driver's fault. Sign or no sign. There would have been lights, train sounding its horn, perhaps gates stopping the oncoming traffic. Drivers here never stop on the line. They go through at slow speed and then slam on after the line if something is coming, forcing the other traffic to move out. However this does not work with a train which is on fixed tracks.

Read the article again

[bubblegum]

Driver's fault. Sign or no sign. There would have been lights, train sounding its horn, perhaps gates stopping the oncoming traffic. Drivers here never stop on the line. They go through at slow speed and then slam on after the line if something is coming, forcing the other traffic to move out. However this does not work with a train which is on fixed tracks.

Read the article again

[poohy]

Not wishing to be overly callous, but one less <deleted> wit driving on the roads!

As for sympathy its found between shit and syphilis in he dictionary

[JetsetBkk]

Brilliant logic to put a sign up blocking the sight of the dangers and making so you have to be at risk just to assess the danger

They do this all over.....and more so a road intersections....stupidity!

Yes - they are all over Phuket too. The sign erectors clearly know where drivers have to look so stick their dämned signs right there. It's even worse come election time when every party sticks their signs at every junction.

Just thought - that's one good reason for not having elections.

[WhamBam]

La La Land to put something in the way to stop drivers seeing if there is a train coming.

What about lights? Barriers? No mention of those. I'd presume this is one of those crossings that do not have any? If so that makes this crossing even crazier especially with a 'fast train' using it.

No mention of the train blowing its horn or whistle. If it was a marked crossing that would have been normal practice and would be recorded on the locomotive's event recorder............................assuming it had one.

RIP to the driver and condolences to his loved ones.

Blowing the whistle.....your kidding, right? I lived for 2 years in Jomtien not to far from 3 level crossings and not once did I hear a whistle.

Several times waiting at the boom gates on the Phichit outskirts (Phichit to Sak Lek Rd) the train has past through with not even a short pip of the whistle.

In comparison in the USA they hammer the whistle!

Checkout the Youtube video of UP trains at crossings. The second clip is a beauty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ5O4TRp9dk

whoa!! That 2nd train was something special.

[cookee68]

Welcome to Thailand, the hub of Stupid

[Sviss Geez]

Welcome to Thailand, the hub of Stupid

...and welcome to ThaiVisa, the hub of stupid remarks.

[Moonlover]

Another factor here as well. The villagers knew that the sign obstructed the view of the railway track. Did anyone report this fact to the 'concerned' authorities? If so did those 'concerned' authorities act on the information? Clearly not. Either way add apathy to the mix.

I lived in Egypt for 6 years and they have exactly the same problem there as well. In one such accident some 50 school children were killed. And there they display this same apathetic attitude to safety. I often ask myself why. I even used to ask my Egyptian friends why. But nobody seems to have an answer. The only answer that seemed to come up was 'Inshallah' - It's gods will.

Any thoughts?

[Langsuan Man]

People don't seem to understand that the State Railway of Thailand is a law unto themselves here. They are a government agency and as such are not subject to public scrutiny or accountability

With all the hoopla about farmers burning their crops here in Thailand, no one says a word when SRT burns the grass on their right of way, because they are either too lazy or too cheap to cut it

[ratcatcher]

Anybody interested enough can click on the Google Earth link below and I believe you can see where this happened. It seems to me, that possibly the station name sign might have obstructed the driver's view. As can be seen, there are no lights, bells or whistles at this crossing, only a stop sign. If you know how to navigate GE, see if you agree. The track runs straight for miles here and the train probably would not have stopped at this small country station.

To view the scene, click on the small yellow person in the lower RH corner and hold and drop onto the railway crossing. The view of the station should show.

https://www.google.com/maps/@13.441738,99.834823,3a,75y,175.77h,67.53t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sryomZdWU4fISVQ1-L6C4LQ!2e0

[Dublin]

High Speed trains ,,,,they cant even manage the slow ones,,,, can see major loss of life if they ever get high speed trains in Thailand,,, RIP,,,