NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: Two men were badly hurt when a passenger train hit their modified pickup truck, which was lowered and became struck on a railway crossing, in Thung Song district on Tuesday morning.
The vehicle was hit by a Bangkok-Nakhon Si Thammarat rapid train at a village crossing in Ban Saiyai, tambon Tham Yai, around 10am, said Pol Capt Winit Inkhong, deputy investigation chief at Thung Song police station.
The overturned wreckage of the Isuzu pickup, which had local licence plates, came to rest in a field below the track. The train came to a stop about 200 metres further down the line.
The two men inside the pickup, Chaiyasit Rattanasupha, 36, and Suthep Pakdiboon, 46, sustained broken legs and arms. They were rushed to Thung Song Hospital.
Police said pickup had been modified, lowered close to the ground. When Mr Chaiyasit drove over the crossing, the vehicle caught on the tracks and the engine stalled. The south-bound train was approaching at the time.
Mr Chaiyasit and Mr Suthep tried to open the doors and flee as the train descended on them, but didn't make it. The train hit the rear of the stalled truck.
The train later continued on to its destination.
The wrecked pickup. (Photo by Nujaree Raekrun)