Elephant crushes driver to death after being hit by speeding car in Thailand
Animal stomps on vehicle after being hit on hind legs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has been killed by an elephant after his speeding car hit the animal near a national park in Thailand, police have said.
When the vehicle struck the elephant’s hind legs, it responded by stomping on the car, destroying the engine and killing the driver, said lieutenant colonel Kemchat Paedkaew.
The accident happened on Wednesday on a small road with signs telling drivers to be aware of wild animals that sometimes stray from Khao Yai National Park in the northeastern part of the country.
Mr Paedkaew said the driver was not local and failed to slow down when he encountered the elephant.
“Elephants don’t come out during the day but they start coming out when it gets dark,” he said, adding that up to two people a year are killed by elephants in areas surrounding the park.
The elephant was guided back to the park and is being looked after by officials.
It comes weeks after a German woman was trampled to death by an elephant as she tried to take a photograph of the animal in Zimbabwe.
In 2015, visitors to Khao Yai were warned to be careful, after attacks by elephants had previously damaged cars, a shop and a restaurant.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments