Elephant stomps driver to death after car hits its legs in Thailand

BANGKOK — A man was killed by a wild elephant after his speeding car hit the animal near a national park in northeastern Thailand, police said Thursday.

Police Lt. Col. Kemchat Paedkaew said the accident occurred at dusk Wednesday on a small road that has signs telling drivers to beware of wild animals that sometimes stray from Khao Yai National Park.

“Elephants don’t come out during the day but they start coming out when it gets dark,” Kemchat said.

He said the driver was not from the area and failed to slow down when he encountered the elephant. When the vehicle struck the elephant’s back legs, the animal responded by stomping on the car, destroying the engine and killing the driver.

Kemchat says up to two people are killed by elephants each year in areas surrounding the park. The elephant struck in the crash was guided back into the park and is being looked after by officials there, he said.

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