Irish Filmmaker & GF Killed in Thailand Crash

4 hours ago, Front Row said:

We know nothing of the accident itself. So it’s difficult to comment on that. Just sad, and he seemed to be a talented filmmaker with a bright future. What a shame.

I remember renting a motor bike in some Greek island when I was younger, zipping from beach to beach, and I didn’t give it much serious thought. Knowing what I know now, I doubt I’d do it again.

Was reported in the Chiang Mai news on Facebook, complete with photos of the bike etc, sensitive parts pixled out. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CgSiFNA8d/

8 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

True, to a point. Like you say it's the dummies that ride like idiots don't practice any safety weave in and out, no helmet thaat make up the aggregate of the fatalities. But while you might be much more careful and midful, it's the other guy who is the wild card to your own safety - no matter how safe you operate.

Very true - there’s always a wild card element whenever you’re on the road. No matter how careful or experienced you are, there will always be situations you simply can’t control.

And yes, you can absolutely argue that you “can’t fall off a car”, or that being surrounded by a metal cage is inherently safer. That’s undeniable. A motorcycle will never offer the same protection in a serious impact.

But catastrophic accidents happen in cars too. I’ve seen vehicles crushed by lorries, rollovers, and incidents where survival came down to pure luck. By that logic, we should probably avoid skiing, ladders, or plenty of other everyday risks. I’ve honestly come closer to serious injury skiing - and arguably on narrow UK B-roads with closing speeds approaching 180 km/h - than I ever have on a motorcycle.

What stands out to me here is that most motorcycle accidents don’t look unavoidable. They look predictable. Too many people take unnecessary chances, and most of the danger comes from other motorcyclists.

I saw it twice today just riding to wash the bike nearby:

• One rider pulled onto a main road through a gap I wouldn’t have taken. He gambled, I waited.

• Later, another rider made a sudden U-turn in front of me. I read it early and slowed. A different motorcyclist came flying past and nearly hit him.

Needless to say, neither rider was wearing a helmet.

That’s the pattern I see constantly - not unavoidable tragedy, but people repeatedly pushing their luck until eventually it runs out.

My own riding here is very limited. It’s mostly too hot, I don’t ride at night, I avoid riding in the wet because the roads become extremely slick, and I don’t speed or take chances. Riding is purely a convenience for short local trips.

Tomorrow I need to ride across Bangkok for a service - farther than I’d usually go because it’s safer and far more comfortable in the car. I’ll see plenty of stupidity on the way, as always. People will cut close, take risks, and do things I’d never do myself. In a car that might mean a scratched bumper; on a motorcycle it can mean getting knocked off.

For that ride I’ll wear proper gear - jacket, gloves, boots, riding jeans, full-face helmet.

But if I’m just riding 1 km down the back roads to football, it’ll probably just be shorts, shirt and a helmet.

Honestly, I’ve injured myself far more playing sports than I ever have riding motorcycles - and part of the reason is because I deliberately limit when and how I ride - I'm also well aware that none of this means I'm invincible, that I'm assured of guarantees that I'm safer, and that the next ride I have could be the one with an incident - but I'm also aware of that when crossing a road in BKK.

4 hours ago, jimgilly said:

Unfortunately, for this young Brit who likely had a bright future, it's too late and laws should be changed to stop this from happening over and over again in the future.

There were no Brits involved here.

3 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Was reported in the Chiang Mai news on Facebook, complete with photos of the bike etc, sensitive parts pixled out, said the speedo was stuck around 60-70kmph.

The speedo 'stuck at' xx kmh means nothing - the force of even the smallest impact could easily swing the speed round to max or to zero.

Arguably - the extent of damage and whether other vehicles were involved talk more to the 'speeds' and type of riding, ability, experience etc.... This is evident in one of the other MC accident threads recently where a clearly inexperienced motorcyclist simply failed to navigate a corner and went head on unto a van)

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The speedo 'stuck at' xx kmh means nothing - the force of even the smallest impact could easily swing the speed round to max or to zero.

Arguably - the extent of damage and whether other vehicles were involved talk more to the 'speeds' and type of riding, ability, experience etc.... This is evident in one of the other MC accident threads recently where a clearly inexperienced motorcyclist simply failed to navigate a corner and went head on unto a van)

Yes I know, I deleted it, and put the link in to the Facebook report

4 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Yes I know, I deleted it, and put the link in to the Facebook report

Ah... that’s genuinely sad to see. Young lad, inexperienced rider, wet road, steep downhill stretch - that combination can turn fatal in seconds.

I do wonder whether either of them were actually wearing helmets.

Personally, I avoid riding here in the wet as much as humanly possible because the roads become unbelievably slick. People who haven’t experienced it often underestimate just how dangerous they are once it rains. Another facet is the automatic motorcycle - no gears, no engine braking - on steep sections brakes can overheat.

Another aspect of this incident that caught my attention is the final position of the motorcycle. It’s notoriously difficult to judge gradient and orientation properly from photographs, but in one of the images it actually appears the damaged bike may have ended up on the left side of the road - the correct side for travel here.

That potentially raises questions about exactly how the collision unfolded, because at first glance many people seem to be assuming the motorcycle crossed over.

Hard to say with certainty from the photos alone, but the positioning does seem slightly odd.

2 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

skidded on a rain-soaked mountain curve on Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak, located in Chiang Mai province. The incident occurred during wet weather conditions

Are cyclists still banned from descending the mountain ? So speed going downhill increases and then comes a corner. Most novice or new riders panic and get target fixation; then add to that the wet road and the skidded bit comes into play.

Could have happened anywhere in the world going downhill in the wet yet Thailand again gets vilified with a broad brush by people who live here but don't seem to like it.

what a tragedy to die so young.

RIP

his film is on youtube. i'll give it a watch.

A well accomplished man at such a young age

May he & his GF RIP

0 details about their death, what caused it no emergency service or police attended as no information except his accomplishes

Very sad news as it always is when a promising young life is cut way too short. I guess the details of the accident haven't been released out of consideration for the families of the victims.

It never ceases to amaze me that so many visitors to Thailand risk their lives operating scooters. During the years I visited or lived in Thailand, I knew 16 people (nine Thais, seven foreigners) who lost their lives in vehicular accidents. They were all people I had met and talked with more than once. Two I counted as good friends.

Outside of Thailand, I have known exactly ONE person who has died in a car accident. That difference has always put the dangers of driving in Thailand in stark contrast for me.

57 minutes ago, phil2407 said:

A well accomplished man at such a young age

May he & his GF RIP

0 details about their death, what caused it no emergency service or police attended as no information except his accomplishes

58 minutes ago, phil2407 said:

A well accomplished man at such a young age

May he & his GF RIP

0 details about their death, what caused it no emergency service or police attended as no information except his accomplishes

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CgSiFNA8d/

Try that

Always sad news to read.

Nevertheless a tragic reminder that the roads in Thailand are deadly mainly for unwary foreigners.

First rains of the year,the roads get slick.

From the FB post it looks like going downhill with speed, the young guy lost control, slick roads probably had the whole bike sliding, and went straight into the oncoming truck. Out for adventure and lose their lives. Tragic.

RIP

Very tragic. The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, prevention, enforcement of the law, or concern toward the prosecution of very reckless drivers. 

Those of us with driving skill, and a strong desire for not only survival, but the avoidance of terrible injury, are constantly scanning the road, in front of us, beside us, and behind us. There are an exceptionally high number of reckless fools on these roads, and it is the only way to preserve our lives, and those of our families, and friends, who may be driving with us, and depending on us.