Ambulance crash in Chachoengsao hits elephant in the room
Collision leaves elephant injured and ambulance heavily damaged
An ambulance collided with a wild elephant while rushing injured patients to the hospital in a forested area of Chachoengsao province, central Thailand, during a late-night emergency.
The incident occurred around 11.30pm yesterday, October 28, when a rescue van from the Phanom Thung Phraya unit was rushing three injured people to the hospital. While driving along the Ban Na Yao–Khlong Toei Road, the ambulance collided at full speed with a large elephant that suddenly emerged from the forest in Tha Kradan subdistrict, Sanam Chai Khet district.
The crash happened within a 500-rai forest zone near Village No. 15, part of the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary.
The van suffered extensive front-end damage, including a shattered radiator, rendering it immobile. A rescue volunteer inside the vehicle sustained minor injuries. The three original accident victims being transported were unharmed in the collision.
The elephant, believed to be a large male aged at least five years, was seriously injured. Witnesses reported it lying motionless on the road, occasionally lifting its trunk in distress, before it eventually stood up and disappeared into the forest under cover of darkness.
The rescue team immediately notified Ekkachai Saendee, head of the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. A mobile wildlife team was dispatched to monitor and push the injured elephant deeper into the forest for its safety.
Due to the damage to the original ambulance, emergency responders coordinated with the Tha Kradan Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) to send another rescue vehicle. The three injured passengers were successfully transferred and taken to Chaikhet Field Hospital for treatment, reported KhaoSod.
According to the driver, the elephant appeared suddenly from the side of the road and moved directly into the vehicle’s path, leaving no time to brake. The impact was described as loud and violent.
Officials from the wildlife sanctuary are now preparing to inspect the forest area to assess the condition of the injured elephant and determine whether further assistance or medical intervention is needed.
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