Four killed in train-truck collision
Four people were killed and 4 injured in a collision between a truck and the Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai train yesterday morning.
The force of the impact derailed the first carriage and tore it in two. The train and truck then slid over a distance of about 100 meters before coming to a stop.
The collision took place at a level crossing made provisionally by residents, for which the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) had not granted permission. There have been several accidents on the transition before. [details missing]
There are 584 of these transitions in the country. 775 others have since been approved by the SRT; they will be equipped with automatic barriers and warning signals, according to the Minister of Transport.
The accident happened 20 minutes after the train left Nakhon Ratchasima. When the train slowed down on approach to Samran (Khon Kaen) station, the truck suddenly appeared. The driver gave a warning signal, but the truck driver ignored it. He accelerated, but not enough to avoid the collision.
Police and rescue workers rushed to the crash site. They cut open the damaged train set, administered first aid to victims and removed the dead.
The four fatalities are the train's driver, a mechanic and two passengers. The truck driver was only injured and, like the other injured people, was taken to hospital. The remaining passengers were later by car [?] to their destination.
The accident disrupted train traffic on the northeastern route. The message does not say how long it will take before the track is free again.
(Source: Bangkok Post, October 31, 2014)
This is awful. RIP.
The nature of the Thai. We take the shortest route. We dive into every hole.
Just like on those dangerous U-turns in this country. On the other side they just continue in the old direction because that is exactly where the street is where they have to go. Police, especially on land, do not intervene. And then you get these kinds of transitions, often poorly laid out, bump bumps, the driver doesn't know where to sit and can't honk twice, and estimating speed is not for everyone.
Unguarded transitions are often a risk factor.
Thailand is not the only country where this occurs.
Accidents with fatal outcomes also regularly occur in the Netherlands.
Recently in Winsum. This was also not the first time.
It was reported here that it was too expensive to secure all unguarded level crossing locations.
However, there are plenty of unemployed people who would like a job to secure these railway crossings.
Safety comes first after all.
How sad the fatal accident is, both in the Netherlands and Thailand, the cause is often known.
Not paying attention, busy on the phone etc.
A tedious job to restore / clean things up for the workers
Of course, such train accidents unfortunately also happen in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world, no one will want to deny that, but the many illegal provisional railway crossings in Thailand by (local) residents are quite different, one will not easily find them in the Netherlands with adjoining certainty .
Walking or driving over the rails and illegal level crossings, also on the highways, is common in Thailand. normal. The Thais bring the statement: the shortest path between 2 points is a straight line, clearly in practice. I also think it is a pity that defenseless people on the train have become the victim.