His vision impaired by the torrential rain, a 27-year-old blacksmith is lucky to be alive after a traffic accident on Friday.

Police said the injured man had just returned to the capital from his home in Kandal when he careered into the back of a truck loaded with sand as it backed up in Chhbar Ampov district.

The collision left the smithy with a broken thigh and serious head injury, but police declined to arrest the truck’s operator, saying neither man could be blamed for the crash. KOH SANTEPHEAP