Belgian man rescued after being trapped in car due to dead battery
A rescue team freed a Belgian man trapped in his car for over two hours after the vehicle’s battery died while he was parked at a petrol station in the northern province of Kamphaengphet.
A staff member of a convenience store at the petrol station called rescuers from the Kawphab Rescue Kamphaengphet to assist the 40 year old Belgian man, Roger Bert Decker, who was stuck inside the car.
The store worker told the rescue team that he saw Decker attempting to open the door of his red BMW but was unsuccessful, so he contacted the rescuers for help.
The rescue team arrived an hour later and asked Decker to try unlocking his car door in various ways but all attempts failed. After two hours passed, Decker appeared exhausted and was struggling to breathe. The rescuers decided to break the car window and helped Decker out.
Decker explained to the rescuers that he was en route to Chon Buri from the northern province of Chiang Rai. He stopped at the petrol station to rest. He turned on the fan in the car and fell asleep, causing the car battery to drain.
The rescue team reported the incident to the Tourist Police, who arranged transportation for the Belgian man to continue his journey to Chon Buri, as his car needed repairs.
In a similar incident, rescuers from the Thammarat Maneerat Foundation rescued a two year old girl who was trapped in a locked car in June. The girl was safely rescued after the rescuers worked for about 20 minutes.
Her parents explained that they stopped at the petrol station to use the bathroom and left the girl waiting inside. The electric vehicle locked automatically from the inside, and they were unable to open it.
In another related incident, a drunk Thai man lost his life after his friend left him sleeping in a car parked in Pattaya with the engine running. Police believe the man died from heat exposure and a lack of air when the car ran out of fuel and the battery died.
