SURAT THANI: A man narrowly escaped death when a pick-up he was driving was hit by an oncoming train at a railway crossing in Chaiya district of this southern province early on Friday.
Police said the incident occurred at about 3.50am at a railway crossing near a market in tambon Talad Chaiya.
Tassanai Jiewmaidaeng, 56, the pickup driver, told police that while driving from his house to the market he overtook another pickup and sped toward the railway crossing without noticing that the wooden bars at the crossing had been lowered. The pickup broke through the wooden bars and was hit on the rail track by the oncoming expressway train No 37 (Bangkok - Sungai Kolok) on the left rear side of the vehicle.
The left rear tyre of the pickup burst. Mr Tassanai was slightly hurt.
The train paused for a while before proceeding to the Chaiya railway station about 200 metres away.
