Thai woman narrowly escapes after car gets stuck on broken footbridge
A Thai woman narrowly escaped with her life after she drove her car onto a broken, wobbly wooden footbridge in the northern province of Phrae. The Sung Men Rescue Team successfully retrieved her car after she came a cropper.
The 38 year old Thai woman carefully got out of her white sedan, a Honda City, which was stuck on the broken footbridge to seek help from locals living near the incident site. Locals reached out to the community leader and the Sung Men Rescue Team.
ThaiRath reported that the accident happened on Sunday, January 28 on the 120 metre sling bridge over the Yom River in the Sung Men district of Phrae. The front wheel on the left side of the car got stuck on one of the broken wooden floor slats of the bridge. The car was about 15 metres from the end of the bridge.
The car driver revealed to rescuers that she come to the area for the first time to visit her friend who lived on another side of the river. Her GPS led her to the bridge. She was unaware that there was a newly constructed bridge about 30 to 40 metres away and trusted the GPS.
The woman successfully drove to the other side of the bridge but there was no road for her to continue her journey. She decided to turn around and drive back to the other side of the bridge. Unfortunately, the wooden floor was broken and her wheel got stuck.
“I only focused on the GPS screen and did not notice a new bridge nearby. I thought the bridge looked strong enough for a car until the accident happened. I was in shock and afraid the car would fall into the river.
“I got out to ask the locals for help. I am not a local and do not know the route. In future, I hope there will be a sign warning drivers not to cross the bridge.”
A local who witnessed the incident said he was unable to stop the woman in time. The bridge was more than 40 years old and only pedestrians and motorcyclists could cross it. He agreed with the woman that there should be a sign warning for motorists.
The rescue team carefully pulled the car backwards and successfully recovered it without damage.
