SURAT THANI, Thailand – A 59-year-old woman narrowly escaped serious injury after driving her car through a railway barrier and being hit by a train, causing her vehicle to collide with a parked pickup truck. Fortunately, she sustained only minor injuries, while the train was delayed for about 30 minutes.
At 12:20 PM on October 28, officers from Wiang Sa Police Station in Surat Thani were notified of a collision involving a train and two vehicles near a railway crossing in Moo 4, Ban Song Subdistrict (between Ban Pru Kra Chang and Ban Song stations). On arrival, authorities found two damaged vehicles and one injured person.
The injured driver, Ms. Boonchu Thongbamrung, 59, was driving a grey-black Toyota Yaris and was taken to Somdej Phrayupharat Wiang Sa Hospital with minor injuries. The second vehicle, a grey-black Isuzu pickup driven by Mr. Nattachai Wichaidit, 34, was also damaged, but the driver was unharmed. The train, local service 446 (Hat Yai Junction – Chumphon), stopped about 20 meters from the incident without damage or injuries to passengers.
According to the investigation, the Isuzu pickup had stopped at the crossing with the automatic barrier lowering to block traffic. At that moment, the Toyota Yaris drove past the barrier and was grazed by the oncoming train, causing it to lose control and crash into the parked pickup. Both drivers had sounded their horns repeatedly, but the Yaris driver apparently did not hear them.
Mr. Nattachai said, “I saw the barrier coming down and the train approaching, so I stopped to wait. Suddenly, another car ran through the barrier and was hit, smashing into my vehicle. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.”
Authorities suspect that the Yaris driver may have misjudged the height of the lowering barrier and failed to see it, leading to the accident. The incident caused a 34-minute delay for train service 446.
