PATTAYA, THAILAND – A heavily intoxicated driver ended up with his car on active railway tracks in Nongprue, triggering a hazardous late-night rescue operation.
Late-night incident on Nongprue rail line
The incident occurred at about 00:30 a.m. on Monday, 8 December, in Nongprue in Thailand’s Chonburi province, according to rescue workers. The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation in Pattaya received an emergency call about a vehicle stuck on the tracks near Nongprue and rushed teams to the scene over fears of a possible collision with a train.
Car moving slowly along active tracks
At the site, rescuers found a white Toyota Innova positioned dangerously on the rails and still moving slowly along the track. Volunteers and local residents blocked the vehicle and signaled the driver to stop immediately; observers said the man behind the wheel was clearly drunk and barely able to control the car. Nearby, helpers discovered a dead cat, apparently run over by the vehicle.
Residents push vehicle off the rails
As no train was approaching at that moment, rescue workers and residents took the opportunity to try to remove the car from the tracks. In a physically demanding effort, the group managed to push the vehicle off the rails to the edge of the railway embankment, moving it out of the immediate danger zone. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Driver claims he mistook tracks for a road
During questioning by rescue personnel, the driver explained that he had been on his way home when he saw a motorcyclist turn off.
“I thought it was a normal road and simply followed,”
said the driver, according to the rescuers.
He added that, without realizing it, he had driven straight onto the raised rail bed until his car became stuck across both tracks.
Tow truck planned, charges expected
By early Monday morning the vehicle was no longer directly on the rails but remained stranded on the elevated embankment and could not be driven. According to rescue workers, a tow truck was expected later in the morning to lift the car back down to road level. Authorities anticipated filing charges against the driver for drunk driving and endangering public safety.
Risks highlighted by near miss
The incident underscored key risks in similar cases, including the danger of serious train accidents from blocked tracks and the threat to the lives of passengers, train staff and vehicle occupants. Rescue personnel also faced significant operational risk working on an active railway line, even though no train happened to be approaching during this incident.