Crane driver electrocuted in freak N Thailand accident

A crane driver was electrocuted and two others injured when hoist lines from the truck crane’s boom touched a live electricity transmission wire at the roadside in Nong Bua Rawe district, Chaiyaphum province, northeastern Thailand.

The tragedy happened at 3pm yesterday on the Nong Bua Rawe – Phakdi Chumphol Road in tambon Nong Bua Rawe.

The driver was electrocuted when cables attached to its boom came into contact with a live line. When police and rescue workers arrived at the scene the charred body of 46-year-old Sompong Thaemsomdee was barely recognisable, locked onto the controls of the crane.

Coworker Kitakorn Supamat said that Sompong was unloading sewage pipes for a new sewer along the side of the road, and the hoist came into contact with a live wire. The entire vehicle immediately caught fire, burning Sompong to a crisp.

Another worker tried to help the driver but he was likewise injured by an electric shock.

The worker who was on the top of the pipes that were being unloaded at the time was also hurt by an electric shock. The man fell to the ground and is said to be severely injured.

Injuries caused by workers coming into contact with high-tension cables are not uncommon in Thailand, where the transmission system is often poorly maintained and safety standards are dependent on who is there at the time.

In India this year, a freak electrocution killed at least 11 people, including two children, when their vehicle snagged overhead transmission lines and burst into flames as they rode in a religious procession.