A brave woman saw a backhoe loader scooping corn about to reverse and hit her friend. She rushed to push her friend to safety, but was crushed and died. Friends revealed her ominous words beforehand. Her husband and son embraced and wept.
At 14:30 on 12 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant Wutthichai Churatnasuphan, duty investigator at the local police station, received a report from the Phrae Provincial Radio Center (emergency line 1669) about a person crushed by a vehicle inside an agricultural produce shop in Mae Lai Subdistrict, Mueang Phrae District. After the report, he coordinated with Muang Chai rescue workers, Mae Lai Municipality, Phrae Rescue, and the duty doctor from Phrae Hospital to investigate.
At the scene, inside a corn kernel storage shed, the body of Ms. Wijitra Phromrin, 33, from Rong Kwang District, Phrae, was found dead beside a pile of corn. She wore a long-sleeve blue-gray shirt and black pants. She had a broken neck and arm, and a fractured skull. Nearby, the backhoe loader that scooped corn was parked, while coworkers cried and mourned the tragic event.
Mrs. Bualong, 62, said that while she was sweeping corn debris behind the backhoe, Ms. Wijitra suddenly shouted “Mother Long” and jumped in to push her so she landed on the corn pile. The backhoe then reversed and crushed Ms. Wijitra, who died instantly, shocking Mrs. Bualong and the workers. Earlier that morning, the deceased had ominously said, “I ordered many sets of pajamas today; this time I will definitely sleep long,” before the accident occurred.
Mr. Sataya Sanya, 33, the deceased’s husband, holding their son and crying, said they have two children who were both off school that day due to illness. The younger was left in care, and the elder was brought to work. His wife had just returned to work 2-3 months ago after a break to care for their children. At the time of the accident, he was working nearby. When he learned his wife had been crushed while helping a coworker, he felt sorrow that she hadn’t jumped to the corn pile with her, as safety was just moments away. Yet he was proud of her bravery in saving her coworker, who has leg problems.
The investigating officer, together with the duty doctor from Phrae Hospital, conducted a postmortem and questioned the backhoe driver. They documented the scene as evidence to proceed with legal actions.