PRACHIN BURI: Three police officers were injured when their pickup truck collided with a passenger train at a crossing in Kabin Buri district on Saturday afternoon.
The truck belonging to the province’s forensic division was heading to the station after its three passengers had finished inspecting a fire scene in tambon Ban Na in Kabin Buri district. The driver was not familiar with the route and did not know the train schedule. As well, there was no barrier at the crossing.
As the pickup crossed the tracks it was struck by the train travelling from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok on its normal schedule. The force of the impact caused the truck to overturn in the ditch beside the tracks.
The three injured officers were identified as Pol Lt Co Rojanaporn Kenbupha, Pol Lt Somphop Tumsua and Pol Cpl Chatri Onkate. They were sent to a nearby hospital by a rescue team.
Accidents at railway crossings are frequent in Thailand, where jurisdictional arguments about barriers have long been a problem. Legal responsibility for erecting barriers rests with the State Railway of Thailand for tracks built over existing roads. But if a new road is built and crosses an existing rail line, the barrier must be paid for by the authority responsible for the road.