Driver narrowly avoids being electrocuted when power lines blow down in storm

2020-05-08 4

A driver narrowly avoided being electrocuted when a tropical storm blew power lines onto the road a few yards in front of him.

Anon Si Phanom was travelling home through the heavy rain and wind in Lopburi, central Thailand, on May 7th when the accident happened.

Dashcam footage from the delivery driver's car shows how the tall wooden posts slowly started tipping over.

They crashed onto the tarmac in a blinding ball of sparks as they high-voltage power lines exploded on the wet ground.

Cables and debris from the disaster were strewn across the highway but Anon carefully weaved between them before turning left onto a dirt track to escape the carnage.

An oncoming motorcycle rider on the opposite side of the road can be seen parking his back and running into a field to stay clear of the wires.

Reflecting on the near-miss, Anon said today it was ''pure luck'' that he had been only a few yards from the spot where the power lines fell.

''If they had landed on my car I would have been electrocuted,'' he said.

''I stayed calm at the time but when I think watch the video, it's very lucky that nobody was seriously hurt.''

Tropical storms have been sweeping Thailand for the last few weeks as the country enters its scorching summer season with temperatures reaching 40 degrees on the day the power lines blew down.

The extreme weather wreaks havoc with the country's ageing infrastructure.