Involved In An Accident

[ThaiPauly]

Yesterday a kid ran into the back of my truck on his Motorbike.

I thought I had hit the pavement or something until we looked around and saw this kid lying in the road and a bike with wheels still spinning lying next to him.

I was badly shaken up-as anybody would be, but the kid was still concious although not moving much, there were plenty of witnesses that told my Wife they saw what happened and it was not my fault.

Well a "Man in Brown" arrived on his bike, looked at the kid , spoke to a few people and called his superior as well as an ambulance.

As we could not comprehend how he managed to slam into the back of us my Wife (in front of the Policeman) asked him if he was drunk, to which he replied he had been drinking whisky with his mates 20 miles away and was on his way home. She asked him if he realised that the accident was his fault to which he replied yes, (in front of the MIB)

By this time I am sitting at the back of a shop drinking Coke and calming down, even though it was not my fault I kinda still feel responsible, if my truck was not there he could not have hit it and all that... guess we would all feel like that. Anyway Wifey comes and gets my Driving License when "Big Police" arrive and then comes back with it. Insurance company arrives at the same time the Ambulance does. Insurance man dictates the statement for my Wiife to write in Thai and I sign it. I have to go to the Police Station in a few days time to ensure that the lad does or has not changed his story when he has sobered up.

What really amazed me throughout this experience is that the Police did not see me, interview me, check that I was not piss@ed out of my head or high on Ya-ba or something. ( I was'nt-but thats not the point) NOTHING, I may as well have not even been involved!

Obviously it will take some time to get everything sorted out, I dont know which hospital the poor boy went to, amd my Wife said we did not really need to know, the Police had all the records and we can find out everything through them, but as it was not my fault I need not concern myself with it (Prime example of culture clash there)The other thing that disturbed me was the lack of compassion for the victim. After my Wife had done all she needed to do by collecting phone numbers of witnesses, who were all standing around, the Manager of the store called everyone back inside a shop that was nearly closing and the boy was moved to the side of the road and left there until the MIBs showed up.

Maybee it was because he was obviously not dying and able to communicate that they left him.

NONE of this would EVER happen where I come from, has anybody else experienced anything like this kind of disturbing apathy ?

They (the Police) are just assuming that because I am a 50 year old farang with a big truck and he's a 20 year old kid who had to much to drink that I dont even need to be interviewed or provide a statement, let alone see if I could stand up and walk in a straight line myself, then there is the uncaring attitude displayed by Thais against their own kind, again I cannot understand this.

I have to admit that I am well shocked by all this, BUT will I get my car repaired without paying, ? I suppose that will be another matter

[GuestHouse]

If nobody is pointing the fingure at you, don't invite them to do so.

[Ajarn]

They didn't interview you because they didn't need to. In such a case, the reasoning is clear.... Same as in your country, or mine.

[bkkmadness]

They should have interviewed the driver as well though surely?

Concerning the lack of compassion, they probably have seen this things a million times before, kid shouldn't have been drunk driving should he. Suppose he had hit a little kid or something and killed him.

[barryofthailand]

This happens all the time. If the boy had been dieing, and someone had not taken him to the hospital, by the time the rescue people arrive he would have probably died. The reason the police did not talk to you is because you were not at fault. Your insurance company will probably have to pay for ypur vehicle, and because you have now been involved in an accident your rates most likely will go up.

Barry

[george]

ThaiPuly. interesting. Please keep us updated!

[taxexile]

dont be so hard on yourself TP , he had been drinking and wasnt badly hurt and hopefully he will have learnt a lesson from it all.

its best if the police are not involved , and if there is no dispute over whos fault it is and the injuries are minor then there is no need for them to be called. the insurance companies will sort it all out for you.

if you are feeling responsible and guilty , then when all the dust has settled so to speak and the insurance companies have agreed everything then perhaps offer a small cash "present" to the whisky drinking fool. i think thats how its done here.

i was involved in an accident about two months ago , as i was turning left into a petrol station on the highway between hua hin and petchburi

i was hit by a motorcycle on my nearside , she hadnt seen my indicators and i hadnt noticed her undertaking through the blindspot.

she went flying and landed on a big concrete block thoughtfully left lying around by a construction company. luckily she was wearing a full face crash helmet and there were no head injuries , but she couldnt get up and she was in shock , as was i. she was 15 years old , no licence and no insurance. dozens of people rushed over , but nobody really aided us. my wife spoke to the girl and we quickly put her gently in the back seat and rushed her to the nearest hospital about ten minutes drive away. she went straight into the emergency room and was x rayed and her abdomen ultrasounded , unbelievably nothing was broken or burst or damaged .

the insurance guy came and said that as she had no licence it was automatically her fault. she agreed and signed.

by now her parents and brothers and cousins had arrived in a pick up and i expected some hassle , but they were all smiles and apologies.

no money was demanded , we all drove back to the motorcycle at the petrol station and the father just said mai pen rai and loaded it onto the back of his pick up.

the police were not involved.

the insurance guy told me that sometimes the police conspire with the victim (exaggerating the injuries) to get money out of the driver.

as the girl was a student at a local college , she was automatically insured for her hospital bills by the college . (colleges have to have medical accident insurance for the students)

there was only minor damage to the bike (a few hundred baht) , but it was the full face crash helmet properly strapped on that saved her from something terrible.

it all happened in a split second and came from nowhere , and left me shaking like a leaf at the thought of what might have happened.

i still feel guilty for not seeing her in the side mirror , but thankfully all she suffered was bruising.

i learned a lesson and am especially careful when turning left now , my driving speeds have slowed down too.

the hospital people were excellent , within one minute of arriving she was on a stretcher in the emergency room being attended to by 2 doctors and 3 nurses. she was x rayed and ultrasounded within 10 minutes and had the results within another 15 minutes.

[solo siam]

He hit you from behind, therefore theres a pretty huge chance that its his fault, After all how do you cause someone to hit you from behind?????

[bkkmadness]

if you are feeling responsible and guilty , then when all the dust has settled so to speak and the insurance companies have agreed everything then perhaps offer a small cash "present" to the whisky drinking fool. i think thats how its done here.

I dont see the need for a cash gift since you were not at fault and he was a drunk driver. Perhaps a phonecall to the family in a few days to check if he is OK would suffice?

[Maestro]

He hit you from behind, therefore theres a pretty huge chance that its his fault, After all how do you cause someone to hit you from behind?????

Reverse.

Brake too abruptly.

Other party bribes police and witnesses.

For someone with the right connections there would be these and probably some more ways of talking himself out of it. Not likely to apply to the motorcyclist in this thread, though.

[Thetyim]

TP, I have had er..... many accidents here.

None of them my fault. They have ranged from scratches to write-offs.

If you have full insurance then I have learnt the best thing to do is to sit back smile at everyone and let the insurance company do the job you have paid them to do. Do not speak unless you have too.

Let the insurance man do it for you.

By the way I still have a ten year NCB.

[OxfordWill]

Sorry to hear about this ThaiPauly - real bad luck. As you already know - if you had sat with the boy and consoled him I expect it would have been seen as you admitting fault in some way for the accident - you have to be more careful with compassion as you know.

It's lucky it was your truck and not a truck full of 15 mob guys more worried about their truck. Good job.

[Patex]

...Your insurance company will probably have to pay for ypur vehicle, and because you have now been involved in an accident your rates most likely will go up...

From my experience with the "good" insurance "Bragan chan nueng" - No disadvantage for you.

TP, human life in Thailand is not up to much...

Patex

[Neeranam]

QUOTE

if you are feeling responsible and guilty , then when all the dust has settled so to speak and the insurance companies have agreed everything then perhaps offer a small cash "present" to the whisky drinking fool. i think thats how its done here.

I dont see the need for a cash gift since you were not at fault and he was a drunk driver. Perhaps a phonecall to the family in a few days to check if he is OK would suffice? smile.gif

TP, you shouldn't feel guilty! It was his fault.

When I had my crash a couple of weeks ago - the guy was on some drugs and the accident was totally his fault. I felt a bit guilty and felt sorry for the guy at one stage, proably because of my history with drugs/booze. A couple of mates pointed out that this guy was a bloody idiot and deserved everything he got. he could have killed someone.

[qualtrough]

TaxExile's story illustrates how important it is here to check your side mirrors whenever you are turning. I don't think many people do that back in the home countries because the chances of someone overtaking you when you have clearly signalled your intentions and are actually turning are pretty slim under most circumstances, but here it is entirely likely that an idiot will be trying to slip by you. Might be a bike, could be a ten-wheeler.

[kayo]

Thai pauly, I´d say consider yourself lucky that the MIB are behaving practically, and not pointing any fingers.

Hopefully it will stay this way and doesn´t change as the days go by.

Good luck!

Kayo

[Mighty Mouse]

Any motor vehicle accident that results in an injury to one of the parties is traumatic for all involved.

No fault can be attributed to you TP but I can understand the distress that you may be feeling.

Your wife apparently did a good job of supporting your end and I think when the dust has settled on this unfortunate accident, she should be rewarded with a night out to dinner and a bottle of wine.

I hope the bike rider makes a full recovery too.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

If nobody is pointing the fingure at you, don't invite them to do so.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Way to go.

[bkkexplorer]

The reason the police did not talk to you is because you were not at fault. Your insurance company will probably have to pay for ypur vehicle, and because you have now been involved in an accident your rates most likely will go up.

Barry

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why would his premium go up if he wasn't at fault? Does this happen all the time?

[Plus]

That's an interesting point 'cos insurance will have to get that guy to cover all the expenses. If he is insured than his insurance company will have to do it, if not.... .

[ThaiPauly]

My missus had two claims on her insurance policy in the first year!

In the UK she would be "Uninsurable" as it was her first year of driving. Her policy charge for the second year stayed the same.

Whilst I had no claims in my first year of riving in LOS my premium went DOWN 3,000 Baht.

By the way- the kid is still in hospital 24 hours after the accident, we wanted to go to se him but the police said not to bother!!!

[ThaiPauly]

I suppose if we go as previously said in this thead, it would look like an admission of guilt.

I was telling my story to a long term resident of LOS today and he said he had been in a similar situation ten years ago , and the MIB beat the kid up, even though he had lost three teeth and asked my freind if he wanted him to be locked up as he had no insurance and could not pay for the damage... I do hope times have changed... and I hope TONY (see CM thread) does not try a "shakedown" on the poor boy although he is not in the CMR Hospital

What do I do, I still feel guilty, am consolling myself with a few Bevvys at home. I dont want to drive now. I let my Wife drive although that is probabaly FAR more dangerous, as she cannot "Read the Road" My take is "TREAT EVERY DRIVER AS IF THEY ARE AN IDIOT", unfortunatley yesterday I just Did not see the IDIOT

This has really affected me phsycologically, and I really do appreciate all your good wishes and "Dont blame yourself" mesages, but I just can't. Perhaps I did something wrong and cant remember what!!! But I drive as I have always driven- carefully, no accidents in 25 years. I had a 3 litre supercharged AMG Merc in the UK , ( so can anyone else, I am not bragging) but NOT ONCE did i sustain even a scratch. I am THAT CAREFUL, but perhaps here, not careful enough, you need eyes in the back of your Fukcing head out here

Edited December 8, 2005 by ThaiPauly

[Insight]

ThaiPauly, my worst fear about driving out here is having an accident (whether it be my fault or not) - I know I'd feel the same way you're feeling right now if I did hurt somebody. If I killed somebody? Doesn't bear thinking about....

Only recommendation I can make is speak to a good mate about it over a few beers - get it all off your chest. Whether you deserve it or not, the guilt isn't going to pass overnight, but it will with time.

The best news you can hope for is hearing about this lad getting back up on his feet again, and (touch wood) it seems like he will do soon.

[ThaiPauly]

Thank you for all your supportive posts.

Today I have driven my truck again, but I am driving like a hawk, I never take my eyes off my mirrors, which obviously means I cant see where the fukc I'm going, but so far , so good. No accidents today.

Three days now and the kid is STILL hospitalised, if he is still there on Sunday I am gonna have to send my Wife to see him at least. No point me going, I dont speak much Thai and I am sure his family would resent my presence (unless it was to hand out money which I do not feel obliged to do). It will be tough for my Wife but there again she is tough anyway. Will keep you posted amd thanx for the positive posts again

[bkkmadness]

Keep us posted Thaipauly and keep your chin up.

Personally I think you should go see the kid, maybe the family will not resent you, and if they do then they will take it all out on your wife.

I really think you should face the situation if you are feeling guilty.

Just wanna add as well, the kid was selfishly drunk driving, if he hadn't have hit you he may have drove on further down the road and caused an accident where an innocent may have been killed.

Edited December 10, 2005 by bkkmadness

[Mighty Mouse]

Just wanna add as well, the kid was selfishly drunk driving, if he hadn't have hit you he may have drove on further down the road and caused an accident where an innocent may have been killed.

Great thought.

ThaiPauly's van could have stopped the kid from killing himself further on down the road.

Instead of feeling guilty, ThaiPauly should be feeling happy in the knowledge that fate intervened on that day and saved a tragedy.

The power of positive thinking.

Well done, Bkkmadness.

[ThaiPauly]

Thanks BKK thata made me feel a lot better, I had never thought of it that way

Cheers

[cmsally]

I'm like you and would tend to feel guilty but afraid can't feel sympathy for anyone who drives under the influence. Heard of too many people getting killed, maimed etc.

Kids like him have wiped out many other innocent people including pedestrians and other bike riders, that is unless they kill or maim themselves first.

Also accidents in Thailand seem to be money making opportunities and have heard of many people completely in the wrong demanding money. So beware any attempt to compensate or visit, might be seen as admission of guilt .

If I was in your shoes and the whole accident left a bad feeling, I would go to Suan Dokh Hospital and offer to pay for anti drunk driving material or contribute (if they already have a campaign). A friend told me a few weeks ago there is almost a whole floor occupied by motorcycle head injuries - many from drunk driving. They need to be targeted so they don't reoffend.

If you help get the message across, even to just a few, you have saved a life or two.

[ThaiPauly]

Yesterday I was summoned to the local Police Station.

When we got there the lad who had hit me was very polite, he came and talked to my wife and said he was very sorry about what had happened. Apparantly he could not remember where he had the accident or what he had hit as he was so drunk.

We all had to sit in front of "Big Policeman" who scribled notes for about 10 minutes. The lad's driving license was out of date so he had to pay a 500 Baht fine, and our Insurance guy who was there as well said that because his license was out of date his insurance was invalidated.

This means he has to personally pay for the repairs and the Insurance Company would probably collect the money off him over a year (with interest) and if does not pay then he will have to report back to the Police Station and would probably be arreseted. He was not fined or anything for being drunk. The Lad told my Wife that this had taught him a lesson and that he was just happy to be alive and that paying for the repairs was nothing compared to what MIGHT have happened to him!!

Insurance guy said I can get my car fixed as soon as I like.

[astral]

They didn't interview you because they didn't need to. In such a case, the reasoning is clear....  Same as in your country, or mine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly.

If you run onto the back of another vehicle it is always your fault.

I assume they checked your paperwork?