richard_smith237

1 minute ago, khunPer said:

16 minutes ago, Cranky said:

If THE car stopped after impact exactly where it is in THE  photo he was driving on THE wrong side of THE road.  Always in Thailand look left, look right, look left and right again, look up and down, look left......

Well spotted.

In which case its possible that the Briton stepped out into the road after looking to his right, but unfortunately not checking to his left for a car travelling on the wrong side of the road. 

A phase I've commonly heard in Thailand: "Always look both ways before crossing a one way street"

7 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

Sorry but that car was being driven at an excessive speed in this case. To do the amount of damage to the bonnet and the windscreen of that car means that there has been considerable force at the time of contact. That damage would not occur if the driver was driving at the signed speed limit of 30kph. The driver was speeding.

Without being an expert it would appear that IF the speed limit was signed at 30 kmh the impact damage may imply that the speed limit was being exceeded.

With that said - model vehicles are designed to 'cushion' upon impact with a pedestrian and the damage would appear far more severe and suggest a higher impact speed to laymen such as ourselves.

18 minutes ago, ttrd said:

28 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I think you've made a mistake:  No one has mentioned that the Brit thew himself.

 

As you can see in the quotes below, it is only you who in Post #23 suggested that the Brit has thrown himself 25 meters (spider man style). 

 

 

Post #17

 

Post #23

RE - Who's to know if the Brit was hammered and stumbled in to the path of the car?  

 

Based on this assertion (something my reply did) he would need to throw himself a considerable distance (25m) which is far above human capacity regardless of age - hence my ref to spiderman and his alike...;)

Without wishing to get into a 'tete-a-tete'  I'm still at a loss as to why you think the Briton would need to 'throw himself' a considerable distance  (25m).

IF the Briton was drunk and stumbled into the path of the car, it would take the car about 25m to stop if traveling at 50 kmh....  the Briton was perhaps thrust off the car from impact or carried the claimed 25 meters. 

34 minutes ago, ttrd said:

50 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

No one suggested he 'threw himself'... its quite apparent that he was thrown by the impact of the car. 

RE - No one suggested he 'threw himself'

 

Yes it was (ref jspill post no 17) and my reply was to that post prior to Your post on my answer to him - not more complicated than that - its always an idea to know the full history prior to comment...;)

I think you've made a mistake:  No one has mentioned that the Brit thew himself.

As you can see in the quotes below, it is only you who in Post #23 suggested that the Brit has thrown himself 25 meters (spider man style). 

Post #17

1 hour ago, jspill said:

1 hour ago, Cranky said:

No evidence whatsoever to say the Boris was drunk or speeding.  Cars are designed to dent easily.  Who's to know if the Brit was hammered and stumbled in to the path of the car?  

The witness saw a speeding car and the Brit waiting to cross the road. 

Post #23

1 hour ago, ttrd said:

RE - Who's to know if the Brit was hammered and stumbled in to the path of the car?  

 

....and then throw himself 25 meters away.... the article's description of the victim doesnt fit With spiderman or his alike...

6 hours ago, Gillyflower said:

What I can't understand.......I saw the picture of the taxi with a smashed window.  WHO did that?  I've not seen that mentioned anywhere.

It was pointed out in the Thai media that the Taxi driver fired the stone from a catapult (slingshot) from within his own car, through his own window and subsequently through the window of the Porsche. 

I find this explanation highly questionable and suspect that the taxi driver actually fired a gun, although there is no report of this anywhere else - I just question how a stone can penetrate two laminated car windows.

3 minutes ago, ttrd said:

Yes, BUT even 5 meters would be a world record in throwing himself in a situation as described....

No one suggested he 'threw himself'... its quite apparent that he was thrown by the impact of the car. 

7 minutes ago, evadgib said:

52 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

A lot of people on this thread so far have blamed the Russian, but British Man may have been complicit in his own tragic demise. 

That is a long, fast & dark stretch of road with a kerb therefore the Brit would have been on the road when parking his bike.

IF the Briton was stood at the curb (Kerb) would his motorcycle not also have been impacted ?

Given that it is not reported that there was any impact with the parked motorcycle and that the damage to the car is in the centre it would appear that the Briton was actually in the road when he was hit. 

8 minutes ago, ttrd said:

RE - Who's to know if the Brit was hammered and stumbled in to the path of the car?  

 

....and then throw himself 25 meters away.... the article's description of the victim doesnt fit With spiderman or his alike...

As with any of these reports we read in the news in Thailand we should not be taking measurements as fact. 25 meters is a long way - but all a reporter needs is someone to say "Thats about 25 meters" for them to quote it and it becomes pseudo-fact in a long drawn out argumentative thread...  It could have been as little as 5 meters - we don't really know unless there was an official measurement. 

How many times do we read - "the Bike was thrown / dragged 100m" when a collision has been reported? do we really believe this and take it as fact?

I think we should apply a little cynicism to the measurements in these reports, especially given the highly emotive content reported. 

On 1/5/2018 at 2:51 PM, The manic said:

Thai women prefer Thai men and even when in a relationship with a foreigner continue to see their Thai faen,gik and husband. The foreigners subsidise the Thai lovers. That is the game. Accept the rules or don't play.  Then you will be happy. 

Erm... I think this identifies the gutter you've been hanging around in and the limited spectrum of the  social leader you've been exposed to rather than a true insight in to Thai society. 

8 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

utter none sense. get in the office and work. costs more money having those guys not working. how dare they bring the british legion into it?! go to work 

Wow... that is some chip you are carrying around with you.... 

"How dare they bring the British Legion into it ?"...  ?? Huh ?... the British Legion is one of their Charities.... Are you suggesting that those who work for the Foreign Office are not worthy of contributing to the British Legion ???....  

The aggressiveness and bitterness of some posters really brings in to question their mental health... 

The Briton had parked his bike and was 'waiting' to cross the road.

I'm not sure that statement is correct. Had the Briton been waiting to cross the road would he not have been at the side of the road waiting next to his bike. 

There was no report that the Mazda left the road. It would appear that the Briton may have already been in the centre of the road when hit given that the damage to the car is central. 

It could be that the Briton mistakenly crossed the road at the wrong time. Perhaps he didn't see the approaching Mazda.

The Briton was apparently heading to a bar, had he already been drinking which caused his miscalculation when crossing the road ?

Was the Russian Speeding ? had the Russian been drinking ?

A lot of people on this thread so far have blamed the Russian, but British Man may have been complicit in his own tragic demise. 

18 hours ago, greatwhitenorth said:

any  wedding I have been at the envelopes are opened and the money counted at a table for two. One opens and counts, the other rights it down in the book

I've never seen the envelopes being opened at the venue - that would seen poor taste. 

At our wedding the Boxes containing the envelopes were taken by my Brother in Law (who kept the boxes in the boot of his car) a few days later my Mother in Law counted it all and noted down who paid what. 

I've always wondered - At some of the bigger weddings in Bangkok the envelope money amounts to more than a Million Baht - I'm surprised there have not been more robberies.

People in Thailand are always so shocked when on social media they see the video's of accidents in China where people refuse to stop and render any assistance, in one instance numerous vehicles drove over a childs body....  

I wonder if society recognizes that people from outside Thailand; mainly Westerners, are equally shocked at some of the careless behavior we see here on Thailands roads. 

Dash cam's can prove you are not involves... Stop, even if its just to hold a dying persons hand in their final moments.

So many people have forgotten their humanity and some comments on this thread have instead of coming across as being worldly wise simply had the poster come across as being a careless dog. 

Have a look at taladrod & one2car.com for similar vehicles which should give you a price indicator (before negotiations).

I'd suggest about 1 to 1.1MB 

13 hours ago, KKr said:

and, did you get out of the car ?

In Bangkok the taxi I was traveling had his phone on the instrument cluster display (speedo etc), the taxi driver was watching a movie.

when I told him it was dangerous and asked him to turn it off he said he was just charging the phone. I asked him to stop so I could get out, only then did he put the phone on the seat.

This was in response to KKr's comment on page 2 of this thread and identifies exactly how little regard there is for the safety of others out there on Thailands roads.

The issue with UBER, Grab and any other Taxi, Motorbike and delivery vehicle is the 'human aspect'.... 

In short - some of the guys driving / riding are quite dumb. 

For the most part 'drivers / riders' turn up at my address without issue, but sometimes simply arriving at a fixed address is simply too difficult for someone who can't read a map, can't read instructions and is unable to follow simple verbal instructions (in their own language).

I've had drivers go up and down Soi 30 when my Map link and stated address clearly shows Soi 28 - when the drivers have finally turned up it is with some attitude that my address is not where they thought it should be until I point out (again) that they were driving / riding up and down the wrong Soi. 

It's not through a lack of Thai, its simply a lack of intelligence, I can't put it down to anything else - Friends, work colleagues etc find my place first time 100% of the time without issue - it just a small minority (perhaps 5%) who somehow fail in this simplest of tasks (arriving at a destination), of course, once the journey commences the reasons are obvious - I'm dealing with an idiot. 

Thai news reports that the Taxi driver fired a stone with a catapult (slingshot - semantics) through his own window and the window of the Porsche.

That a stone fired via a catapult could penetrate through two tempered safety glass is somewhat questionable... I wonder if the Taxi driver actually fired a gun in anger and then quickly back-pedaled... 

1 hour ago, pennine said:

That's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about motorbikes who overtake on the left with just enough room for the handle bars, then cut in front of you for good measure.

In central Bangkok the motorbikes flow around you like water...  for the most part it seems to work, we (car drivers) just have to ensure we do not make any sudden maneuvers or lane changes and drive predictably so that the motorcyclists and select a path around us when 'threading traffic'.

This does not mean that the motorcyclists are riding unsafely, its the only way for them to 'get ahead' in heavy traffic which apart from cheaper costs is pretty much the sole purpose of having a motorcycle in the city. 

I do get frustrated at the amount of times I consider I've 'saved' a motorcyclists from injury when they have 'chanced their luck' in pulling out in front of me or cutting me up and I am forced to emergency brake.

For the most part it seems to work and there is relatively little 'coming together' of motorcyclists and cars in the central city areas given the potential - That said: Thailand is now #1 for road deaths for a reason.

IF you have a smart phone you can use a number of reliable Apps to book a Taxi to the Airport. 

1) UBER

2) Grab

3) All Thai Taxi

With UBER you can select 'UBER Flash' (which means you 'may' get a regular taxi or any other type of UBER willing to take you) or if you don't wish to have a regular taxi you can select 'UBER X' (regular car) or 'UBER Black' (something a little better such as a camry).

With Grab you can select 'Just Grab' (which means you 'may' get the nearest taxi or any other type of Grab Car willing to take you. Or if you don't wish to have a regular taxi you can select 'Grab Car'.

Estimated prices are quoted for both Apps. 

All are reliable, far more so than attempting to call a taxi via phone if you can't speak Thai.

I'm not sure why anyone who has a smart phone would want to use the phone booking anymore. 

Western guy in Thailand - decides to go for broke, have a porn-star moment and have a 'bang' on the balcony...  It went very wrong - Up until this point it could simply be death by misadventure. 
 

I find that not to run down 5 floors and render the best possible assistance to be reprehensible. Fear does strange things. 

My speculation would be that the guy ran out of sheer fear - In a foreign country where it is common knowledge how lazy and corrupt the police force are. I can't say I blame him for running away. 

Sometimes it really is as simple as the reports say - I don't suspect there is more going on here. The obvious explanation is sometimes the right one. 

BUMP & FFW to Jan 2018... 

Where can I get an Apple Watch fixed in Bangkok ? Anyone with first hand experience? (of course, I'll try MBK).

My Wife's Apple Watch 2 has stopped working - it will not charge (I suspect the battery requires replacement). 

I will first go to an Apple repair centre but given the information in this thread I'm not willing to pay out 9500 baht on a repair when a new watch is just a little more. 

As to the questions of the durability of the Apple Watch - I've been wearing one since mid 2015 and have faced no issues - I think its fairly durable. I've stopped wearing any of the other watches I've owned because the 'smart watches' are so convenient (with the exception of charging it!)

My X5 at 3 years old and 22k-kms now has been serviced twice... at 8000 km and at 15000 km which equates very roughly to the one year and two year mark respectively.

Under BMW BSI servicing is included for 5 years... I'm not sure how this could be a scam.

I'm not suggesting BMW are the best out there, but this thread is reading a little like the 'Apple-Samsung' threads.... the haters are out there and the bias is often beyond intelligent balance.

I'm trying to sell a couple of valuable items on ebay at the moment -  I'm shocked at the amount of scammers out there and the level they will go to in their desperate attempt to appear legitimate.

It seems to me that I have been too trusting in the past - while I have always been able to recognize a scam it never ceases to amaze me at how many times people will look you in the eye and still try it on. 

While on my flight returning to Thailand yesterday I sat next to a uni-graduate reading her Thailand Travel guide, she was discussing her plans with her friend. The discussion concentrated on how to avoid being scammed !!!!

It certainly appears that while humans are inherently good people, given a chance there is a minority who will attempt to scam the majority - its a sad trait of humanity. 

Thus: Cheap Charlie Farangs trying to scam others... Yes of course, I'm certain many will try it on. I'm also certain many will find themselves subject to scams attempts - its a part of being in Thailand - for most its expected, for many its part of the excitement of being here and is a tail to be retold when back home of how they foiled a scam attempt.